Aprilia’s dilemma over the cancellation: Martin benefits, Bezzecchi misses out

The cancellation of the MotoGP race at Phillip Island has two sides to it for Aprilia. Jorge Martin is spared another loss of points following his injury in the sprint race. Marco Bezzecchi, on the other hand, is unable to capitalise on his strong form to close the gap in the title race. Consequently, Aprilia’s racing director Massimo Rivola is finding it difficult to assess the cancelled race from a sporting perspective.

Marc Márquez heads to the next Grand Prix in Malaysia with 365 points. Martín follows with 355 points, whilst Bezzecchi has 315 points. The remaining riders now have only very theoretical chances of winning the World Championship. Whilst Martin would not have been allowed to race on Sunday anyway, Bezzecchi had been hoping for another opportunity to close the gap after setting the fastest time on Friday.

How Rivola reacted to the cancellation

“I’m sure Marco is a bit gutted because he saw an opportunity. I think Jorge is happy,” explained Rivola when asked whether the cancellation was good or bad for Aprilia in the title race. “I feel sorry for the people who’ve spent the whole day here since early this morning. This final event deserved a better ending.”

The restricted visibility hampered the rescue helicopter’s operations, thereby preventing the race from going ahead. The Moto3 and Moto2 races had already been cancelled earlier. To mark their farewell to Phillip Island, the riders were left with nothing more than a single lap together behind the safety car and a wave to the fans on the start-finish straight.

Marco Bezzecchi verabschiedete sich von den Fans auf Phillip Island

Foto: Gold & Goose

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“Personally, I hadn’t thought about the problem with the helicopter. That was the main issue. I haven’t spoken to Marco yet after the farewell lap to find out what the track was like. From the outside, it didn’t look particularly good, given the speeds and the high average pace here,” explained Rivola.

For the Italian, the cancellation also brought with it a personal disappointment. He had brought his family along especially for the final MotoGP race at Phillip Island. “I’m here to race. I told my family: ‘You have to see the last race at Phillip Island; it’s unique.’ They went to the trouble of travelling there and back over several days for that – and then there was no race. But that’s just the way it is,” explained the Aprilia boss.

Why Aprilia cannot be pleased about the cancellation

Despite the positive implications for Martin, Rivola therefore did not want to regard the cancellation as a success. “It’s a shame, because of course we’re here to race. Phillip Island is one of the most legendary races, and we all love coming here,” he emphasised. In purely mathematical terms, every cancelled race in which Martin cannot compete boosts his title chances. Rivola addressed this openly, without making it a wish for the remainder of the season.

Australien-GP 2026: Paraderunde statt Rennaction

Foto: Gold & Goose

“If you look at Jorge, it would of course be better if we didn’t race – not even at Sepang, perhaps only again at the last two races. But that’s not what this is about for us. We must now concentrate on what needs to be done. That is the main task,” Rivola clarified.

Bonora sees positive signs

Meanwhile, there is cautiously positive news regarding Martin. The Spaniard suffered a broken spoke during the sprint race whilst locked in a fierce battle with Marquez at the fast Turn 8. Furthermore, initial X-rays suggested a possible fracture of the ulna near the wrist. However, as things stand, surgery does not appear to be necessary.

“Zero points for Marc, zero points for Jorge. The championship remains wide open. We’ve been given the chance for Jorge to recover,” Aprilia team manager Paolo Bonora told TNT. “The positive thing – and this is the most important news – is that it’s not a displaced fracture. This morning, Jorge was in very good spirits.”

Aprilia-Teammanager Paolo Bonora

Foto: Gold & Goose

Martin will therefore not be flying to Spain for an operation, but will travel directly from Australia to Malaysia. The aim remains to return to racing this coming weekend at Sepang. However, there is no firm confirmation yet that he will be able to race. “At the moment, it doesn’t look as though surgery is necessary. That’s very good news. We’ll have to wait and see how the situation develops,” Bonora explained to MotoGP.com.

Given just how competitive Martin had been at Phillip Island, the injury is particularly bitter for Aprilia. Before his crash, he had overtaken Marquez several times and countered his attacks. “Yesterday he put up an incredible fight; it was great to see. He was very aggressive and pulled off lots of manoeuvres. He showed that his race pace is really good. But his crash was quite heavy,” Bonora noted.

Attention now turns to his recovery and the question of when Martin will be able to ride again. “We’ll be monitoring his progress day by day. He was in very good spirits this morning, and that’s a real positive for us,” explained Bonora. When asked about a comeback at Sepang, he replied: “We’re working on that. We’re optimistic.”