Aprilia MotoGP rider Jorge Martin has explained why he required further surgeries during the winter break, revealing he felt so weak that he couldn’t even lift a bottle of water.
Martin had appeared to put his bruising 2025 campaign behind him when he returned to action at the season finale in Valencia last November. This gave him the opportunity to assess his condition during a full race weekend, while also getting early experience of Aprilia’s 2026 prototype at the post-race Valencia test.
However, as it turned out, the Spaniard’s trouble did not end with the season, and the lingering effects of his previous injuries forced him to go under the knife again. One procedure fixed a bone he broke on his left hand in February last year, while a separate operation was carried out on a collarbone that had still not fully healed from his Motegi crash.
The 2024 MotoGP champion is missing this week’s Sepang test to complete his recovery, a significant blow to his hopes of hitting the ground running in the 2026 season.
Nevertheless, Martin travelled to Malaysia to follow the test trackside and spoke about his latest physical struggles.
“I feel much better now than what I felt in Valencia; this is a good sign,” he said. “After the Valencia race, I was more or less feeling good.
“I thought I had recovered, but two weeks after Valencia, I couldn't even pick up a bottle of water,” he said. “I started to have a lot of pain either in the hand or the collarbone during my life at home.
“So then, I understood that I had to go to a second review of my injuries. I had to undergo surgery again. Some of the bones were still not healed. I did surgery as soon as possible.
“There were some days of doubt after all that I've been through. To have two surgeries again was really tough, but I decided it was the best thing for my future, and to finally be at my 100% because I think during ‘25 I've never been at my 100% in all the season.
“It's a pity, but finally, I closed that stage, and now I'm already on the way to finally being 100%.”
After undergoing a bone graft during his second operation, Martin said his collarbone now feels back to normal, although he still has some concerns about his wrist as recovery continues.
“With the collarbone, I feel fantastic, the strength is getting there, so I feel good,” he revealed. "The recovery has been much more normal now. They've taken bone from my hip for the collarbone, and everything looks good.
“The hand is now consolidated, 100%. The problem is that I still have to gain a bit of strength and mobility. But yeah, I think I will be at 100% soon, so I'm relaxed about it.”
Martin is hoping to make a full recovery in time for the Buriram test on 21-22 February. The season will kick off with the Thai Grand Prix at the same venue a week later on 1 March.
“The target is to be at the Buriram test. We were a bit on the limit to be here [testing in Sepang], but finally the doctor said it's better to wait.
“I will have another check on Monday and if everything is okay, then I will start riding more bikes in Spain before heading to the Thailand test.
“So Thailand test is the target, to have some feedback with the new Aprilia, because if not, we'll be a bit repeating the season of last year.”
In 2025, Martin suffered a major crash on the opening day of the Sepang test that forced him out of the remainder of pre-season running. It proved to be the first of several injuries in a brutal campaign in which he finished just four grands prix.
