Martin explains slowest-Aprilia Friday: “I'm used to riding with the Ducati here”
Jorge Martin ended Friday at Phillip Island as the slowest Aprilia, fifth and 0.255s off the pace at the penultimate flyaway round of the 2026 season. He blamed a lack of reference points after missing last year's race through injury.
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Jorge Martin foi o piloto mais lento da Aprilia nos treinos de sexta-feira em Phillip Island, e atribuiu o resultado à falta de referências depois de ter perdido a prova do ano passado por lesão.
O fim de semana é o penúltimo teste fora da Europa da temporada 2026 da MotoGP para o progresso da Aprilia, e a moto italiana liderou o primeiro dia, com Marco Bezzecchi mais rápido à frente de Raul Fernandez, enquanto Martin terminou em quinto, a 0.255s do melhor tempo. Mais preocupante para ele: ficou mais de um décimo atrás do rival pelo título Marc Marquez, o único piloto da Ducati misturado com as Aprilias na frente; Ai Ogura, da Trackhouse, igualou o tempo de Marquez para ser quarto, deixando Martin como a única Aprilia mais lenta que o atual campeão.
Sem voltas no traçado com a RS-GP, ele recorreu ao estilo que usava na Pramac Ducati. “Eu precisava me adaptar ao estilo da Aprilia, porque estou muito acostumado a pilotar aqui com a Ducati, então eu estava tentando forçar bastante na entrada”, explicou.
Ele acrescentou que o seu problema habitual — entrar rápido demais e atrasar o acelerador — pareceu maior aqui, porque é preciso tirar muita velocidade das curvas, e que a moto estava bem melhor ao fim da sessão.
A tarde de Martin também reavivou um tema antigo: questionado sobre ordens de equipe no início do ano, o rival Marc Marquez foi direto — “If you're fast, you don't need team orders”.
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