Jorge Martin finished third in the MotoGP Sprint at Lusail and seventh in Sunday’s Grand Prix despite racing with a wrist fracture suffered two weeks earlier. His performance in Qatar was strong enough for Aprilia Racing CEO Massimo Rivola to call it remarkable, with Martin’s Sprint ride drawing particular praise.

Rivola also pointed to the emotional weight of Martin’s return to the circuit. He said that, when the rider was there the previous year, Martin had reached the point of considering whether to end his career. That context made this year’s result especially significant, given both the earlier experience and Martin’s physical condition.

The championship picture nevertheless moved against Martin. Marc Marquez won the Sprint and finished second in the Grand Prix, leaving Martin 16 points down in their title battle and heading to Portimao 60 points behind him in the MotoGP standings. With two races remaining, winning the championship has become extremely difficult, while the wrist injury is expected to continue limiting Martin to some degree.

Aprilia’s remaining objectives

Rivola said Aprilia’s only approach is to pursue victory in every race still ahead and then see what that produces in the standings. The team also hopes to secure the teams’ championship soon and continue its fight for the manufacturers’ title. Those objectives remain important even as Martin’s individual championship challenge has become far more complicated.

Qatar also brought Aprilia a major result through Marco Bezzecchi. The Italian led the Grand Prix from the start to the finish after showing speed from the first free-practice session, managing the race pace and building the gap effectively. Rivola said Bezzecchi deserved the Sprint victory as well, although the rider had not been especially prominent in Saturday races so far this season.