MotoGP comeback man Jorge Martin has admitted it will be a “disaster” if he crashes at this weekend’s Valencian Grand Prix.
Friday saw him return to the track since his accident at the Japanese Grand Prix in September, but the returning factory Aprilia rider says he is far from fully fit and is taking an ultra-safe approach to the weekend.
Martin even delivered on his Thursday promise not to attempt a flying lap on fresh tyres at the end of Practice. A failure to reach Q2 was thus inevitable, but part of the plan.
The 2024 MotoGP champion’s primary goal is to get into a rhythm ahead of Tuesday’s test at Valencia, which kicks off the 2026 season.
“Not pushing was the most difficult part, because I actually felt super good today on the bike,” he said.
“It’s a different philosophy this weekend, trying to take it as a test is not easy, because when you are with other riders and you have all the times on the screen, you want to push more.
Jorge Martin, Aprilia Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
“But it’s really important to understand that my condition is bad and it’s really important to not crash. So this is the main thing of the weekend, I’m getting ready for the test, that will be the important day for us.
“I don’t know, maybe I’m 60% from my full potential, or 70%. The thing is that if I crash, then it will be a really big problem for the future.
“I think if I get injured again, then my body won’t support it. That’s what my doctors tell me. So I have to be really easy and really smooth. And this is what I did.”
Martin was nonetheless only just over a second off the pace on Friday afternoon. But in a tightly-spread field, that put him ahead of only Somkiat Chantra and Nicolo Bulega. He highlighted the importance of the weekend for getting back into the riding groove ahead of Tuesday.
“I think the best for me and for my future and for my targets is to be here and ride smoothly. This is the most important thing. For sure, if I push…and I crash, then it’s really a disaster,” he said.
“So that’s why I need to be calm, know my target. I’m not comparing myself to any of the other guys. I’m just looking at my side of the box, what we are improving, what we need to be better, and that’s it.
“Tuesday is even more important than to be here today. So just going through the weekend in the safest [way]… I cannot promise that I won’t crash because this is impossible, but for sure I don’t take any risk to put me in that situation.”
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