{"id":1497,"date":"2026-09-02T12:28:07","date_gmt":"2026-09-02T15:28:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/?p=1497"},"modified":"2026-09-02T12:28:09","modified_gmt":"2026-09-02T15:28:09","slug":"martin-says-he-can-keep-motogp-lead-even-if-marc-marquez-closes-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/motogp\/martin-says-he-can-keep-motogp-lead-even-if-marc-marquez-closes-in\/","title":{"rendered":"Mart\u00edn says he can keep MotoGP lead \u201ceven if Marc M\u00e1rquez closes in\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">News summary<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Jorge Mart\u00edn believes he can maintain the MotoGP championship lead even if Marc M\u00e1rquez continues to close the gap.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Aprilia rider sees <strong>several favorable tracks in the remaining races<\/strong>, including Misano, where he has won in the past.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>M\u00e1rquez is now just <strong>19 points behind Mart\u00edn<\/strong>, while Marco Bezzecchi trails the championship leader by 24 points.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Jorge Mart\u00edn is confident he can maintain his lead in the Riders\u2019 Championship even if Marc M\u00e1rquez closes in.<\/strong> The Aprilia rider believes the remaining MotoGP schedule includes several circuits that should suit him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite leading the championship, Mart\u00edn has endured an up-and-down 2026 season. After dominating the French GP weekend, the #89 has won just one Sprint, at Silverstone. At Arag\u00f3n last weekend, the 2024 World Champion finished outside the podium places.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">MotorLand Arag\u00f3n was one of the circuits where Jorge did not race last year because of a series of injuries, but the rider does not believe that explains his subdued performance. Mart\u00edn pointed out that even Marco Bezzecchi, who finished on the podium, struggled at Alca\u00f1iz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThat\u2019s not an excuse, because there are some races where I didn\u2019t race last month and I was still fast,\u201d Mart\u00edn said in an interview with MotoGP. \u201cI just struggled. We tried to keep everything simple and not touch the bike too much. But in the end, today I needed some help,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/LG9_1729-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1020313233\" srcset=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/LG9_1729-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/LG9_1729-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/LG9_1729-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/LG9_1729-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/LG9_1729-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/LG9_1729-150x100.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jorge Mart\u00edn is confident of maintaining his MotoGP championship lead (Photo: MotoGP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cEven Marco, who I think was almost the favorite, struggled during the race,\u201d he stressed. \u201cI think that\u2019s part of a championship. In some races, we are better. In some, we are worse. The important thing is to learn, keep building speed and confidence, and go to the next one with optimism. I won [at Misano] in the past, and it\u2019s a really good track for me. I think Aprilia can perform extremely well there, and I hope to enjoy the weekend,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After a subdued performance in Arag\u00f3n, Mart\u00edn saw his advantage shrink, and he now holds just a <strong>19-point lead over Marc M\u00e1rquez<\/strong>, who moved into second place. Bezzecchi dropped to third, 24 points behind the championship leader. M\u00e1rquez\u2019s double victory at Arag\u00f3n reshaped the title fight and put the Ducati rider firmly back into contention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI think Marco and Marc are title contenders alongside me,\u201d Mart\u00edn said. \u201cI feel that, even though I\u2019m still in a learning process, I\u2019m leading. So it\u2019s crazy. I\u2019m super happy. I think that from now on, I can maintain this lead. Even if Marc closes in,\u201d he commented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI think there are some really good races for me, and I hope everything we have learned during these 14 races can help me in the fight,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mart\u00edn had already adopted a points-focused approach ahead of Arag\u00f3n, where he said he would gladly accept two second-place finishes rather than take unnecessary risks against M\u00e1rquez. That strategy paid off as he retained the championship lead despite M\u00e1rquez\u2019s dominant weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The 2026 MotoGP title fight now heads to Misano, a circuit Mart\u00edn believes can favor both himself and Aprilia. The Italian track will host the San Marino and Rimini Riviera GP from September 11 to 13, the 14th round of the season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">MotoGP returns to action from September 11 to 13 at the San Marino and Rimini Riviera GP, the 14th round of the 2026 season. <strong>GRANDE PR\u00caMIO<\/strong> will provide complete coverage of the weekend, as well as all other classes of the Motorcycle World Championship. Follow all the latest developments in the <a href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/motogp\/\">MotoGP section of<\/a> <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/motogp\/\">GRANDE PR\u00caMIO<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">FAQ<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. How many points does Jorge Mart\u00edn lead Marc M\u00e1rquez by in MotoGP?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After the Arag\u00f3n GP, <strong>Jorge Mart\u00edn leads Marc M\u00e1rquez by 19 points<\/strong> in the 2026 MotoGP Riders\u2019 Championship. Marco Bezzecchi is a further five points behind M\u00e1rquez.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Why is Mart\u00edn confident about the remaining MotoGP races?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Aprilia rider believes <strong>several of the remaining circuits suit his riding style and the RS-GP<\/strong>, including Misano, where he has previously won. He therefore expects to be able to score strongly and defend his championship advantage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Who are Mart\u00edn\u2019s main rivals for the 2026 MotoGP title?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mart\u00edn identified <strong>Marc M\u00e1rquez and Marco Bezzecchi as his main title rivals<\/strong>. M\u00e1rquez currently sits second, 19 points behind, while Bezzecchi is third, 24 points off the lead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Jorge Mart\u00edn sees Marco Bezzecchi and Marc M\u00e1rquez as title contenders but remains confident in his own chances, pointing to favorable circuits in the second half of the 2026 MotoGP season<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1020313119,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"42wp_featured_image_caption":"Mart\u00edn is confident of maintaining his MotoGP championship lead","42wp_featured_image_credits":"Michelin","42wp_featured_video":"","42wp_featured_image_hidden":false,"42wp_authors_list":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[53,52,104,173,321,32,315,353,354,323],"42wp_author":[36],"class_list":["post-1497","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-motogp","tag-aprilia","tag-jorge-martin","tag-marc-marquez","tag-marco-bezzecchi","tag-misano","tag-motogp","tag-motogp-2026","tag-motogp-championship","tag-riders-championship","tag-san-marino-gp","42wp_author-juliana-tesser"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1497","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1497"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1497\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1498,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1497\/revisions\/1498"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1020313119"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1497"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1497"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1497"},{"taxonomy":"42wp_author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/42wp_author?post=1497"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}