Aprilia Boss Wants Jorge Martin to Have Confidence in MotoGP 2026

JAKARTA - Aprilia boss Massimo Rivola has asked Jorge Martin to believe in himself and not be in a hurry to show he can race fast on the MotoGP track in the 2026 competition season.

Martin, who is the 2024 world champion, only went down in seven rounds during his debut season at Aprilia because he had to fight against various injury problems throughout 2025.

The Spanish racer was able to show his potential with Aprilia in several races throughout this year. However, the lack of time with the bike made him certainly still need adaptation.

"The first thing Jorge needs to think about is believing in himself, believing that he can also be there. As a world champion, everyone expects more from him," said Rivola as quoted from Crash.

Martin previously tried to cancel his contract with Aprilia for 2026 in mid-2025. He wanted to end the cooperation on the grounds of a performance clause.

He was then only participating in one Grand Prix. However, Aprilia rejected the request and threatened to take legal action against the 27-year-old rider.

Martin eventually had to give in and commit to a second year of his contract ahead of the race in the Czech Republic.

Rivola advised Martin to adapt to the upcoming races. He said that the Madrid-born racer needed to slowly find his best performance.

"You need to give him time because he doesn't need to show us that he is fast, everyone knows he is very fast."

"There are times when you train too much, things can turn against you. So, there is a way to do it," he said.

Despite all the off-track drama Martin experienced, the Italian manufacturer enjoyed its best season in MotoGP 2025 with four Grand Prix wins and a runner-up position in the manufacturers' standings.