Martin on Bezzecchi: “Sometimes you don’t see what you want to see”

Following the chaos he caused at the start of the Hungarian Grand Prix, Jorge Martin was handed a double long-lap penalty for the Brno Grand Prix. The Aprilia rider’s aim on Sunday was therefore to limit the damage and pick up as many points as possible.

On top of that, the ‘Martinator’ put himself in an even worse position in Brno – in qualifying, he could only manage 10th on the grid. As his team-mate Marco Bezzecchi was suspended for the Grand Prix, Martin moved up to ninth on the grid.

In the 21-lap race, Martin got off to a solid start. He managed to gain one place and was in 8th on the first lap. He then battled with Joan Mir (Honda) for 7th place. On the third lap, a message appeared on Martin’s dashboard informing him that he had to complete his two long laps. In the meantime, Martin was overtaken by Aldeguer – he was now down to ninth. But the 2024 World Champion countered immediately. On lap 5, he completed his first long lap, after which he rejoined the race in 10th place, just ahead of Franco Morbidelli. One lap later came the second long lap – Martin was then in 13th place, just ahead of the KTM riders Brad Binder and Maverick Viñales and behind Enea Bastianini.

Willkommen zum Rennen in Brünn

Foto: Gerhard Schiel

Paddock

Foto: Gerhard Schiel

Die Fahrer

Foto: Gold & Goose

Fans

Foto: Gerhard Schiel

Diogo Moreira

Foto: Gold & Goose

Abkühlung

Foto: Gerhard Schiel

Martin und Ogura

Foto: Gold & Goose

Luca Marini

Foto: Gold & Goose

Paddock

Foto: Gerhard Schiel

Pecco Bagnaia

Foto: Gold & Goose

Vor dem Start

Foto: Gold & Goose

Grid Girl

Foto: Gold & Goose

Start des Rennens

Foto: Gold & Goose

Jorge Martin

Foto: Gold & Goose

Enea Bastianini

Foto: Gold & Goose

Fans

Foto: Gerhard Schiel

Francesco Bagnaia

Foto: Gold & Goose

Ai Ogura

Foto: Gold & Goose

Di Giannantonio und Acosta

Foto: Gold & Goose

Verpflegung

Foto: Gerhard Schiel

Diogo Moreira

Foto: Gold & Goose

Marc Márquez und Pecco Bagnaia

Foto: Gold & Goose

Di Giannantonio und Moreira

Foto: Gold & Goose

Marc Márquez gewinnt das Rennen

Foto: Gold & Goose

Sieger Márc Marquez

Foto: Gold & Goose

Ai Ogura, Marc Márquez, Pecco Bagnaia

Foto: Gold & Goose

Sieger Marc Márquez

Foto: Gold & Goose

Willkommen zum Rennen in Brünn

© Gerhard Schiel

The strategy for the long laps

At the end of each of his two long laps, Martin returned to the track by crossing the green line. “It was the safest way to get back on track without getting into a risky situation. It was safer and easier for everyone,” explained the 28-year-old. However, he did receive a track-limits warning on each occasion. “I knew I had two more track-limit warnings left, and because I don’t normally go beyond the limits elsewhere on this circuit, it wasn’t a problem for me. My strategy was to ride out onto the green area. The long laps went very well and I didn’t lose too much time.”

Topic of the week

The 2027 Formula 1 grid: Will the transfer bombshell only drop in the autumn?

Summertime, holiday season, the silly season: these are the weeks when the most outrageous driver changes are usually discussed. The big news for the 2027 season is yet to materialise.

Read more

TV program

Tomorrow

Silverstone: International Livestream

MotoGP World Championship

07.08.2026 - 10:55

After that, Martin was able to focus on his chase, but he was stuck behind Bastianini for many laps. At the end of the tenth lap, he finally managed to overtake the Italian. One lap later, he overtook Franco Morbidelli, and with three laps to go, he passed rookie Diogo Moreira (LCR Honda). Following Pedro Acosta’s (KTM) retirement on the final lap, Jorge Martin crossed the finish line in ninth place.

“I’m quite happy with the weekend, as I managed to improve a little in every practice session,” said Martin of his race weekend. “But I think we’re a long way off Ducati at the moment. I don’t have any confidence in the front tyre; I always feel as though I’m about to crash. We’ve lost our way, but I don’t know why. We need to understand why that is. I hope Assen will be a good place for us. The track there is much more flowing, which suits the Aprilia and my riding style.”

Aprilia celebrated another one-two finish at the Mugello Grand Prix, followed by two disappointing events in Hungary and the Czech Republic. Has Ducati improved so much over the last two race weekends? “I don’t think we were the best there (at Mugello, ed.), but I don’t think we’re the worst now either,” mused Martin. “We had our problems over two race weekends; now we’re heading to tracks that should suit the Aprilia better. I hope we can get back to our usual level. But I said right at the start of the season that Ducati aren’t far off. They just didn’t get everything right, and Marc wasn’t at 100 per cent. Now both bikes are at a similar level. The race is still on, and we’ll have a great championship right to the end, which is good for everyone.”

Basic setup missing

Martin still lacks the right basic setup for his RS-GP – even after nine race weekends in the 2026 season. “There have been a few races, for example at Le Mans, where I’ve ridden with a particular setup, but it doesn’t work on other circuits. It’s a shame I haven’t found my base setup yet. I’d love to have a test, but we don’t have one,” Martin lamented. “So I’ll be using a few Fridays as test days for the rest of the season. I’ll be trying out new things and trying to regain that good feeling with the front tyre. As soon as I’ve got that back, I’ll be able to fight at the front again.”

In the overall standings after the Czech GP, Jorge Martin is now just eight points behind Marco Bezzecchi. Bezzecchi had a disastrous day in Brno, with a crash in the Sprint and a ban from starting the Grand Prix. What does Martin have to say about ‘Bez’s’ actions and the penalty? “That’s difficult to judge. In the heat of the moment, Marco did what he did,” said Martin. “But I think he won’t do it again after this penalty. Marshals are there to help us. But sometimes, after you’ve crashed, you don’t see what you want to see. Then you get angry.”