Jorge Martin on a Drip: The Tracks Where Aprilia Fears Marquez

• Martin leads the championship with 355 points ahead of Marquez on 353 and Marco Bezzecchi on 309
• Aprilia has confirmed the infection, a doctor treated Martin with a vitamin drip on Wednesday evening
• Technical director Fabiano Sterlacchini sees Sepang and Qatar as critical, Aprilia considers Valencia neutral

With five races left in the 2026 MotoGP season, the title fight is as close as it has rarely been. After 17 of 22 rounds, only two points separate Jorge Martin and Marc Marquez. At stake is the last title of the 1000cc era before MotoGP switches to 850cc in 2027. The short break after the race in Mandalika, however, did not go as planned for the championship leader. Instead of preparing calmly for three back-to-back overseas races, Martin needed medical treatment. Meanwhile, Aprilia is looking ahead to the remaining tracks. Among them are two venues the manufacturer says it views with concern.

What happened to Jorge Martin?

Jorge Martin picked up a gastrointestinal infection in Asia. A doctor visited him in his private apartment on Wednesday evening and gave him a vitamin drip. Aprilia has confirmed the illness.

After the Indonesian GP, some MotoGP riders flew straight back to Europe. Martin, on the other hand, stayed in Indonesia with his girlfriend Maria. The reason: ahead of the long trip to Australia, he did not want to put himself through jet lag again, meaning the fatigue caused by the time difference. On site, he combines recovery with training.

On Wednesday, the 28-year-old then caused some concern. On social media he posted a picture of himself on a drip and briefly mentioned having problems. It quickly became clear that it was an infection. It is said to be typical for travellers in the region.

Does the infection put Martin’s start in Australia at risk?

As things stand, no. No problems are expected for the Australian Grand Prix.

That fits Martin’s approach to breaks. He hardly ever takes it easy and trains almost every day, even on days off, either on his road bike or in the gym. Aprilia has no intention of holding back the 2024 world champion.

Martin has experience with tight title fights. In 2024, in his duel with Francesco Bagnaia, he laid the foundation for his world title precisely in the overseas races. This time a tough schedule awaits him right away: Phillip Island, Sepang and Qatar follow on three consecutive weekends.

Which tracks worry Aprilia in the title fight?

Aprilia sees Sepang in Malaysia and Lusail in Qatar as the two most critical tracks. Technical director Fabiano Sterlacchini said so after the race in Indonesia.

At first he did not want to commit himself. That was not down to a lack of willingness, but to this season’s experience. In Spielberg, Aprilia had actually prepared for a weekend on the defensive, but then performed very well there. For two tracks, however, he was clear: “We are working to be as prepared as possible in Sepang, then clearly in Qatar Jorge last year didn’t race, so basically these two are the two tracks where we are a bit more concerned.”

On the remaining tracks, Aprilia considers itself fairly competitive. Sterlacchini rates Valencia as neutral. The track runs anti-clockwise and has many left-hand corners. Marquez is usually very strong there.

What is the problem at Sepang?

Last year’s results explain the concern. In 2025, not a single Aprilia rider made it into Q2 at Sepang, the session that decides the front grid positions. The best RS-GP rider was Bezzecchi in seventh in the sprint, while Ai Ogura finished tenth in the Grand Prix. Ducati won both races back then, even though Marquez was absent through injury. Bagnaia won the sprint from pole position, Alex Marquez the Grand Prix.

These very two riders could become important for Ducati in Malaysia. Bagnaia no longer has a mathematical chance of the title, and Alex Marquez is likely to drop out of contention soon as well. That would make both of them possible helpers for Marc Marquez. Aprilia itself wants to let its riders race freely for one or two more races. After that, clear instructions in Martin’s favour are to follow.

Why is Qatar difficult for Aprilia?

In Qatar, Marquez stood out particularly strongly last year. He took pole position and won both the sprint and the Grand Prix. The best Aprilia rider in qualifying was Ogura in tenth on the grid, and he finished seventh in the sprint. In the Grand Prix, Bezzecchi was the best RS-GP in ninth. Martin himself did not take part in the race.

Why does Martin lack experience with the Aprilia at many tracks?

Due to several serious injuries, Martin missed most of the remaining races in 2025. As a result, he has never raced the Aprilia RS-GP at Phillip Island, Sepang or Portimao. At Sepang he has only a few test laps from 2025.

His first Aprilia season was marked by crashes from the very start. At the Sepang test ahead of the 2025 season, he broke his right hand and his left foot. He only made his race debut in Qatar. There he crashed heavily again and suffered a haemopneumothorax, meaning blood and air in the chest cavity, along with several broken ribs. This was followed by a week in hospital in Doha and around two months out. At the season finale in Valencia, he retired during another comeback attempt.

Martin himself is open about how far he was from the championship lead back then: “I really didn’t think I would be back leading. It wasn’t in my mind.”

Martin has already shown this season that a lack of track experience need not rule him out. At twelve tracks where he did not race in 2025, he quickly got to grips with the RS-GP. Mandalika was one of them. In addition, he is not alone with this problem. Marquez also missed most of the remaining races last year through injury.

Who has the better cards at Phillip Island?

There is no clear answer, both camps see arguments in their favour. Ducati team manager Davide Tardozzi suspects that some corners could suit the Aprilia in terms of grip at extreme lean angles.

Tardozzi therefore sees Phillip Island as an important test. If Ducati can hold its own there, he considers the title absolutely achievable. There are still 185 points up for grabs in the last five races.

Aprilia sees things differently. Even before the race in Mandalika, Aprilia Racing boss Massimo Rivola named Marquez as the rider with the best chances. He is used to title fights like this and takes the full 37 points when it is needed. Rivola also said he was curious to see how Marquez rides at Phillip Island. The track has more left-hand than right-hand corners, and Marquez is very strong there.

The circuit on the Australian coast is 4.448 kilometres long and has twelve corners, seven of them left-handers. It is characterised by fast, flowing sweepers. Strong wind can unsettle the bikes there. For tyres, Phillip Island is considered one of the toughest tracks on the calendar, with the left shoulder in particular under heavy load. The Grand Prix runs over 27 laps. For Marquez to take the championship lead outright, he needs to score at least three points more than Martin over the weekend.

How does Ducati assess the race weekend in Mandalika?

Despite Aprilia’s superiority, Ducati draws a positive conclusion. In his analysis on LinkedIn, Ducati Corse boss Gigi Dall’Igna spoke of having cleared a big hurdle without damage.

The course of the weekend explains this view. In the sprint, Bezzecchi and Raul Fernandez collided at the first corner, and Martin later lost the lead due to low front tyre pressure. Marquez took advantage and won. On Sunday, Aprilia then took the first four places, Martin finished third and Marquez sixth. In the end, the gap was the same two points as before the weekend.

Dall’Igna calls Mandalika perhaps the most difficult track of the season for Ducati. Marquez had never finished a Sunday race there before. He says Marquez was ready at the right moment and got the maximum out of an unfavourable situation. For the rest of the Ducati line-up, on the other hand, it was a difficult Grand Prix.

Ahead of the final stretch, Dall’Igna stresses that every race is now decisive. Never before has the gap been this close at this point of the championship. His message to the rival: “May the best man win.” Before Mandalika, he had already said of Martin that he makes few mistakes in the closing phase of a season. But Marquez, too, is used to title fights like this.

What’s next in the MotoGP title fight

The next race takes place at Phillip Island from 23 to 25 October. It is followed by Sepang from 30 October to 1 November and Qatar from 6 to 8 November. Portimao and the finale in Valencia round off the season.

Both manufacturers agree on tyres. Michelin brings the same material for everyone, and neither Dall’Igna nor Rivola sees an advantage for either side. For Martin, it is also about a farewell. In 2027 he moves to Yamaha, and his seat at Aprilia goes to Bagnaia. Whether he takes the number 1 with him will be decided over the next five races.

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