I’m not feeling 100% physically or on the bike

Jorge Martin says leading the MotoGP standings after the Dutch Grand Prix is largely immaterial to him, insisting his priority remains returning to full fitness and fully understanding the Aprilia. 

Martin moved to the top of the championship with a third-place finish at Assen, with erstwhile points leader Marco Bezzecchi retiring on lap 2 after a crash.

It marks a notable shift in the title picture, with Bezzecchi having led the standings since the opening round of the season and only briefly surrendering the top spot following the sprint in Austin in March.

The change also comes just before the halfway point of the campaign, with next weekend’s Sachsenring round marking race 11 of 22.

However, 2024 champion Martin said he takes little satisfaction from topping the championship standings, as he is yet to deliver his full potential due to two key reasons.

“I don’t really care about being first, second or third. At this point of the championship, it’s not really important,” he said.

“It’s better to be first than fifth, that’s for sure. But the thing is I’m not 100% physically, I struggled quite a lot with my back this weekend. I’m not at my 100% with the bike.
So just put your head down, trying to find that physical condition, that feeling with the bike. 

“I don’t know where the limit is. So we will try to continue fighting to get that maximum for being ready for the last races of the season.”

Although Martin said earlier this year that he had finally begun to feel at one with the RS-GP after hitting a purple patch in May, he has since softened that stance, claiming he is still searching for a baseline setup. 

Further, a series of crashes during the year — including during a wretched weekend in Barcelona — have compromised his fitness, even if he has repeatedly downplayed concerns about this. 

Nevertheless, with five podiums including a win across the first 10 grands prix, he has been one of the more consistent points scorers in 2026.

“It was important to arrive close [to the top going] into the summer break,” he said. “So this is the most important thing, because I know second parts of the season are normally really good for me. 

“I feel like I’m still in a process with Aprilia to try to get to know [the bike].

«It was nice to get the lead, but it’s still a long journey. We have to go race by race. If we have the chance at the end, I will fight for it. And I hope that even if I don’t really trust the statistics, I hope that it plays a good role for me.” 

While the two Aprilia riders were expected to dominate the season, the championship fight remains wide open heading into next month’s German GP.

Martin sits just seven points clear of Bezzecchi in the standings, with Fabio di Giannantonio another nine points adrift on the best of the Ducatis. Further, the top eight riders are separated by just 63 points on the leaderboard.

Asked if there is any particular rival he needs to keep an eye on, the Spaniard said: «There are a lot of opponents, we are in MotoGP. There are six, seven riders who can fight for a championship.

“So I will try to focus on myself, trying to be better every race. And if I do like this, then hopefully, I have the chance to fight at the end. Maybe Ai [Ogura], maybe Marc [Marquez], maybe Bezzecchi, whoever it is, I will try to fight till the end.”

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— The Motorsport.com Team