Jorge Martin’s struggle with grip at MotorLand Aragón forced the 2024 MotoGP champion into a distant fifth, revealing a track‑specific shortfall rather than a systemic problem with his Aprilia.
Qualifying in P2, half a second shy of pole, Martin’s performance dipped sharply from the Silverstone sprint‑winning weekend three weeks earlier, where he secured pole, sprint victory and a second‑place finish.
Despite adopting the older setup that won him the Le Mans double, Martin confessed to a persistent loss of traction over the weekend, a week‑long battle that left him unable to match the pace of teammate Marco Bezzecchi, who finished on the podium while the RS‑GP revealed further potential.
“I don’t feel a lot of grip,” Martin remarked, saying the flat track conditions left him “always loose” and that the lack of traction limited his ability to build speed. He added, “I was able to catch Alex [Marquez] a bit, but the grip was dropping faster than I could adjust.”
Martin’s comments echo earlier statements, where he said, “The bike feels fine at the front, but the overall grip is dropping.” He noted that the feeling he had at the test track was missing on “tracks like Brno or Sachsenring,” and that the loss of traction on Aragón was the most problematic of the season.
While Ducati’s edge over Aprilia might have contributed to the performance gap, Bezzecchi’s Saturday session proved the RS‑GP could outperform when grip was available. Martin admitted that, even though the weekend was a “damage‑limitation exercise,” he was content to secure top‑five finishes rather than risk crashing on the low‑grip circuit.
The race unfolded with Martin starting strong, quickly moving into second behind Bezzecchi, only to fall back to fifth after Marc Marquez, who dominated the weekend with a double win, sprinted past him at Turn 15.
Marquez extended his championship lead, shrinking Martin’s margin from 31 to 19 points with nine rounds still to run. Martin expressed confidence that the lack of grip would be a manageable issue, stating that the bike’s behaviour had restored a sense of control, an essential factor for challenges ahead.
“I feel confident. I feel good with the front,” Martin said. “When grip is there, I feel the bike, but on low‑grip tracks I slide everywhere and cannot build speed.” He remained determined to refine his approach on similar circuits, “Maybe in the next races I have to take more risks, but not for this one.”
Looking forward, Martín’s 28‑year‑old will aim to re‑establish traction and pace as the season moves into its second half, where every top‑five finish could prove pivotal as the championship roars toward its final stages.
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