Jorge Martin (7th): Riding style not working with the Aprilia at Aragon

Whilst Aprilia works rider Marco Bezzecchi caused a stir by setting the fastest time at Aragon on Friday, the opening day proved considerably more difficult for his team-mate Jorge Martín. The championship leader first had to get used to the specific challenges of MotorLand and his RS-GP.

In FP1 that morning, Martin could not manage better than 18th place and fell well behind the leaders. In the decisive qualifying session, however, the Spaniard put in a much stronger performance. Finishing 0.572 seconds behind Bezzecchi’s fastest time, he took 7th place and thus comfortably secured direct qualification for Q2.

Martin still needs to get used to the new Aragon tarmac

“I felt better than expected, but there’s still work to be done,” Martin summed up after the first day of practice. “I’m still struggling with this bike on this track. The track surface has changed significantly since I last raced here. I’m trying to adapt and improve with every stint.”

Last year, he missed the Aragon GP due to his injury lay-off. As a result, the new tarmac was still uncharted territory for Martin. The Aprilia rider is finding the front-wheel behaviour particularly challenging.

Aggressive riding style puts too much strain on the front tyre

Martin also attributes the problem to his own riding style. “I’m struggling with the front end. The tyre is wearing out very quickly after just two laps. I need to work out how to brake better. I have to try not to overshoot the front end so much.”

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This is precisely where the World Championship leader sees the greatest potential for the rest of the weekend. “That’s a problem I have with the Aprilia. It’s down to my riding style. If we can improve that, my race pace will increase significantly.”

The rear tyre also loses performance over the distance, but causes Martin far fewer difficulties. “The rear tyre also wears out, but is easier to control. The front tyre wears out after two laps, but then behaves fairly consistently.” As a result, Martin is still unable to fully exploit the potential of his RS-GP. “I couldn’t push hard today and need to work out how I can push harder,” explained the 28-year-old.

Martin is convinced: Ducati stronger than Aprilia at Aragon

However, the fact that his team-mate Bezzecchi set the fastest time of the day on the second Aprilia shows just how much potential the RS-GP has. Martin himself hadn’t necessarily regarded Aragon as ideal terrain for the Noale-built bike beforehand. “This has actually always been one of the most difficult circuits for us. But we’re close to the Ducatis. I think we’re in a good position. The Ducatis are stronger here, though,” mused the World Championship leader.

Despite a difficult start to Friday, Martin can nevertheless be satisfied with his position. He achieved the day’s most important goal: direct qualification for Q2. For Saturday, the Aprilia works rider must now, above all, find a way to reduce the strain on the front tyre and thereby get more out of his RS-GP.