Jorge Martin admitted that even one of his strongest weekends wasn’t enough to beat Marc Marquez after his championship rival won the Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi.
Martin started from pole and led the opening 10 laps for Aprilia, but Marquez found a way through at Turn 9 on lap 11 before going on to win by 1.363 seconds.
The result cut Martin’s MotoGP championship advantage to just two points with four rounds remaining after Marquez completed a perfect weekend in Japan by winning both the Sprint and Grand Prix.
For Martin, however, the most concerning part wasn’t simply losing the race. It was the feeling that Marquez had an answer even when the Aprilia rider was performing close to his best.
Martin admits Marquez ‘had something else’
Speaking after the race, Martin acknowledged the progress Aprilia had made throughout the weekend.
“On Saturday, we made a bigger step. Today, we made another step,” he said, as quoted by Motorsport.com.
That improvement was evident from the start. Martin converted pole into the early lead and maintained a strong pace, but managing his fuel consumption contributed to the moment when Marquez made his move.
“I was able to be quite constant in the front. I had some issues with my fuel consumption, so I had to manage a bit, and at that point, he took the advantage,” Martin explained.
Once ahead, Marquez gave his rival little encouragement. Martin initially stayed with him, but the Ducati rider gradually opened a gap and had extended his advantage to around a second seven laps after taking the lead.
Martin continued to push in an attempt to force a mistake, but none arrived.
“With Marc, you cannot make any mistake either on riding or with the management of the race, so he was stronger,” Martin said.
His conclusion afterwards offered an indication of the scale of the challenge facing him over the remaining four rounds.
“During the whole weekend, he had something else than me.”
Two points separate Martin and Marquez
Martin nevertheless had reasons to leave Motegi encouraged. Pole position and second place represented significant progress for Aprilia at a circuit where the manufacturer has previously struggled, while he also pointed to the team’s first Sunday podium at the track and a new lap record.
It continued an impressive campaign for Martin during a season in which he has also had to manage physical issues, including his decision to rule out surgery for an arm-pump problem.
But Marquez’s recent form has transformed the championship picture.
Victory at Motegi was his sixth Grand Prix win of the season and sixth across the past nine race weekends. It was also his fifth Sprint and Grand Prix double of 2026, with the maximum 37 points collected in Japan reducing Martin’s championship lead to two.
“I did my best, I tried to push till the end,” Martin said. “The pace was unbelievably fast, but yeah even on one of my good days, it was impossible to beat him.”
Martin has also been at the centre of speculation over his longer-term future, with Yamaha linked with a possible move for the Aprilia rider, but the immediate challenge is considerably more pressing.
“Let’s see what happens in the next races,” Martin said. “I feel it will be really difficult to beat him, but I feel it’s a privilege to be fighting with Marc at this stage of the championship.”
Martin arrived in Japan with a 12-point championship advantage and leaves with only two separating him from the reigning world champion.
More troublingly, he produced a weekend he was largely happy with and still couldn’t keep Marquez behind him.
