Jorge Martin seals comeback from nightmare 2025: 'I'm as proud as when I won the world title'

If there was any doubt that Jorge Martin had put his troubles behind him, it faded away when he won the French Grand Prix

Jorge Martin says his comeback from a series of injuries and a contractual dispute in 2025 makes him as proud as his 2024 MotoGP title - adding that he is now a better rider.

On Sunday in France, the Spaniard made a symbolic return to the pinnacle of MotoGP by MotoGP French GP: Jorge Martin leads Aprilia podium sweep.

Between the end of 2024 and the beginning of 2026, Martin endured multiple injuries and missed the majority of the races. Whilst on the sidelines, he also tried to wriggle out of his deal with Aprilia - a controversial Exclusive: Jorge Martin pushing for early Aprilia exit. The 28-year-old has also spoken frequently about his mental battles during 2025's low moments.

But this year has been a far smoother ride, as Martin already had a couple of sprint wins to his name as he lined up for the start at Le Mans on Sunday. All that was missing in his return to full status as a MotoGP frontrunner was a grand prix victory - which he duly delivered less than an hour later.

Asked if reaching his best level so quickly made him as proud as becoming world champion, Martin replied: "Yeah, for sure. Yeah, I'm really happy to be back at my top level. I think now I am a better rider than I was in 2024, for sure."

Martin said that the tough times had contributed to that improvement - and emphasised that the relationship with Aprilia was good despite his intentions to move to Yamaha for 2027.

Jorge Martin, Aprilia Racing, Marco Bezzecchi, Aprilia Racing, Ai Ogura, Trackhouse Racing

Photo by: Marc Fleury

"Well, I always say that I am grateful for the bad things that happened to me, because if you take that as something to improve, something to learn from it, it just makes you a better man. So all the bad things that happened to me make me the man that I am today," he added.

"I am here at Aprilia and I will defend these colours [as long as] I am with them. So I'm really happy to have this relationship also and to be so united with Aprilia at this moment."

After being hunted down and caught by Martin late in the race, and thus conclusively defeated in a straight Sunday fight for the first time by the 2026 incarnation of his team-mate, Marco Bezzecchi had plenty to ponder after the French GP. He still has a slender one-point lead in the championship, but the bad news for him is that Martin reckons there is more to come in terms of his relationship with the bike.

"We still don't have my base [set-up]," said the man from Madrid. "So I'm working on that. And I think this will be the key during the future races to find it. So, let's say after the summer break, I can have 'my' bike and I just get to ride it."