Watch out MotoGP, Martin is truly back in business

Whatever happens now, Jorge Martin has a MotoGP comeback story.

Sure, that story is only a draft novella following his dramatic sprint victory in Texas on Saturday. For it to become a full-length book, he'll have to win a grand prix. And if he wants his name on an injury comeback saga, like Mick Doohan or Marc Marquez, he'll need a world championship, of course.

But for now, it's worth stopping to salute what the Spaniard has achieved - and the manner in which he has done so. 

His catalogue of injuries in the past 16 months has been documented ad nauseam and doesn't need repeating here. Few of us mortals can even begin to understand the battle his body has had to fight in that time. But let us never underestimate the pain these motorcycle men live with, even at the best of times. 

As with any injury, the mental aspect has been a huge part of the challenge. Martin has spoken of going to really dark places during the ordeal: entirely credible and not unusual. But that aspect of his convalescence had an unusual extra layer to it: the contractual dispute with Aprilia that dragged on for much of last summer.

On the face of it, the attempt to wriggle away from Aprilia was self-inflicted and deserves little sympathy. Martin has hinted that being in the depths of injury despair meant he wasn't acting rationally. Cynics would say that was just an attempt to rebuild severely damaged bridges with his employers in Noale. If it is true, on the other hand, then hard questions do need to be asked of the people advising him.

Regardless of how you judge it, though, it's a certainty that Martin has had an awful lot to overcome since appearing on video at last year's COTA race. That's when he told the world about his hopes to return to action at the following event in Qatar. A comeback which ended in a Doha hospital and heralded the lowest of the lows in Martin's 2025 story.

Last year's Qatar comeback ended badly when Martin fell and was hit by Fabio di Giannantonio

Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images

A Texan milestone on the comeback trail

Say what you like about some of Martin's off-track moves in 2025, but you cannot take aim at the man's attitude or determination since he decided to put the Aprilia fight behind him and move on. 

When he showed up at Brno to resume racing and speak to the media for the first time in months, he did an outstanding job. Despite speaking in his second language, he handled the press grilling with honesty and candour. He told of the dispute as he saw it and did not grovel in Aprilia's direction. But he was also clear that bygones had to be bygones: it was time to crack on with the collaboration.

While Aprilia people clearly did their part in making the forgive-and-forget plan work, Martin set about a rehabilitation rampage that you could only respect. He pounded out the kilometres on his bicycle and spoke about fitness with a passion few ordinary humans could muster - especially those who had spent so much time in hospital beds. He admitted at Misano that he is "obsessed" with his wearable and all the physical parameters that it reveals.

There was no miracle aboard the bike, however. It was going to take time to get to know the Aprilia after missing so much testing. Then Martin got injured again when he crashed at the first corner at Motegi. 2025 was a write-off.

And so to 2026. It was, at last, time for a clean sheet and a full testing campaign. But then Martin was immediately hit by a setback: injury hangovers made him miss the opening test. Surely the nightmare wasn't about to repeat itself?

Whatever happens now, it's safe to say that that has not been the case. This year has already been better than 2025. Still not fully fit, Martin was competitive from the first race in Thailand. He picked up a grand prix podium at the second race in Brazil. And now, on the third weekend of the season, he is a MotoGP winner again. 

There were elements of Martin's 2024 title campaign in his Texas sprint win

Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images

It wasn't just about crossing the line first. It was a win full of flashbacks, trademarks and encouragement. 

This success came on the calendar's most physical track. A venue where many, including Martin himself, felt his fitness might be in for a reality check. Granted, a sprint is only half a grand prix, but the fact that he was able to win this one with a last-lap surge bodes well for his ability to hang on reasonably well on Sunday. 

It almost made you wonder if Martin had been downplaying his fitness deliberately. His words from Thursday, when he said, "If I can be competitive here, I can be competitive anywhere," echoed loud. Food for thought as this unexpectedly intriguing 2026 season unfolds. 

There was familiarity and poetry in the fact that he had to overtake none other than his 2024 tital rival, Francesco Bagnaia, to secure the victory. Recall that Martin's championship win that year was built on his outperformance of Bagnaia in sprint races, and you can imagine the good memories that will be flooding back to Martin after this one.

Then there was Marco Bezzecchi falling right in front of Martin late in the race, ultimately losing his points lead to his team-mate in the process. If ever there was a moment that suggested Bezzecchi's time as undisputed team leader at Aprilia might be up, this was it. And the fact that it played out live on Martin's on-board camera? Well, you just couldn't script it.

There will still be challenges on Martin's comeback trail, that's for sure. And one sprint does not a season make. But right now, it's only fair to acknowledge the mountain he has climbed both mentally and physically. And take note of all those omens.