Is Martin already out of the MotoGP title fight?

Last season, Jorge Martin brought the fight to the factory Ducati team, beating Francesco Bagnaia to take his first MotoGP world championship title.

The consistency of his results impressed many, but it wasn’t enough to secure him a seat at the factory Ducati squad, which instead went to eight-time world champion Marc Marquez. Instead, Martin left the Ducati fold altogether and moved to Aprilia, lining up alongside Marco Bezzecchi for 2025.

However, during pre-season testing in Sepang, Martin suffered a crash which saw him fracture bones in his right hand and left foot, thus making him unable to participate in the remaining tests. Further injuries to his left hand sustained during training, which required surgery, have ultimately resulted in him missing the first round of the season, the Thai GP, this weekend.

While he is recovering, TNT Sports MotoGP presenter Suzi Perry and pundit Neil Hodgson believe this accident will have set him back in his chances of duplicating last year’s successes.

Speaking ahead of Martin’s second bout of injuries, Perry told Autosport: “It’s a difficult start for Jorge Martin. I think he did a brilliant campaign last year, I thought he was tremendous. I thought he was really strong, and he deserved to be the world champion.

“I hope that Aprilia will give him the tools to do what we know that he can do, but I do think he’s up against it. And with this crash in testing, it’s not what any rider wants at the start of a season.”

Hodgson shared Perry’s sentiments, saying: “I think if Martin had been able to do all the pre-season testing, I would talk about him in the mix with those two other riders.

“But as it stands, going into round one, I think he’s going to be a little bit behind because he’s not been able to test the new bike, and it just takes a while to really understand a motorcycle and to race it on the absolute limit takes confidence. His confidence will be a little bit battered and bruised having crashed last time out.

“Martin’s an incredibly talented rider. I just don’t think the bike is as good as the Ducati. I think he’ll win races, I don’t think he’ll fight for the world title.”

There had been a chance of seeing Martin with the factory Ducati team in 2025, having been a part of Ducati’s satellite team Pramac since his MotoGP debut in 2021. But Ducati flipped its preference to Marquez in June last year, signing Martin’s compatriot on a two-year contract – a decision that split the paddock at the time.

“I think what happened to him [Martin] at Ducati was extraordinary – not in a good way,” said Perry.

“I think he got himself into a corner by saying that he would leave if he didn’t get the red bike, if he didn’t get the factory bike. I think he was ill-advised actually, if I’m honest. I don’t think he should have said those things, I think he should have left that door open a little bit.

“I don’t know whether they got it right, I think they will end up with a world champion again this year, but I think to lose Jorge Martin and the other two [Enea Bastianini and Marco Bezzecchi] as well, actually, from their camp, it can’t have been in the planning. It was a really strange scenario to see a world champion leave a factory and go to another factory.”

Watch all the action from the 2025 MotoGP season live on TNT Sports and discovery+ starting with the Thailand Grand Prix on Friday 28 February. TNT Sports and discovery+ is the home of motorbikes with coverage of every race from MotoGP, FIM World Superbikes, Bennetts British Superbikes and FIM Speedway GP. Follow @tntsportsbikes to keep up with all the action on social.