Photo via Crash.net

Why Jorge Martin couldn't match his Aprilia MotoGP rivals at Mandalika

Jorge Martín’s title hopes took a setback at the Indonesian MotoGP as he finished third among Aprilia’s RS-GP riders, 6.9 seconds behind race winner Marco Bezzecchi. The Spaniard admitted struggling to match the speed of Bezzecchi and Raúl Fernández on two key corners, where excessive wheelspin cost him critical time.

Despite improving over the weekend, Martín’s performance left him with no points gained—his two-point lead over Ducati’s Marc Márquez remained unchanged after the race. The challenge stems from missing last year’s Mandalika event due to injury, forcing him to adapt to the circuit without prior experience on the RS-GP.

With only limited 2025 testing at Sepang and a history of injury setbacks, Martín faces similar hurdles at upcoming rounds in Phillip Island and Portimão, where Ducati’s Márquez holds an advantage from prior experience at those tracks.

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