Jorge Martin is the favourite to win the MotoGP title after Marc Marquez’s injury setback
· Yahoo Sports
It may only be the sixth round of the season, but there’s little doubt about who’s going to win it.
Jorge Martin has arrived this year, and his fightback in France put an exclamation mark on a weekend that already looked like it belonged to him.
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Martin began in seventh place but built on his Sprint success with a late charge that finished with a fearless move past teammate Marco Bezzecchi. The win is his first since Indonesia in 2024, adding another highlight to an already strong campaign.
The perfect weekend pulled Martin within one point of Bezzecchi at the top of the standings. With Marc Marquez out for now, the early title race looks set between Aprilia’s two riders.
After some injury troubles early on, Martin is getting back into form, helped by having clearly taken control as Aprilia’s lead rider over Bezzecchi.
While Bezzecchi hasn’t exactly had a poor start – he had four podiums in six races before Le Mans – Martin looks sharper and seems more comfortable with the bike overall.
Praise for Acosta hasn’t just come from Márquez. Many have noticed how quickly he’s adapted and started delivering good results since joining KTM last year. He even finished second at Mugello last season behind Francesco Bagnaia of Ducati.
Photo by Gold & Goose Photography/Getty ImagesJorge Martin is proving to be better than Marco Bezzecchi
Bezzecchi has effectively been Aprilia’s lead rider since the start of last season, thanks to Martin missing time with injuries. Even when he returned, Martin was still behind due to a lack of track time.
But over time, he’s started to close that gap. He got his first Sprint win against Bezzecchi in Brazil with a third-place finish and then followed it up by winning Saturday’s race in Austin after Bezzecchi crashed out.
Bezzecchi was quicker over one lap at Le Mans, but this was the first weekend where Martin finished ahead of him in both races. Rider #89 is looking like his old self again.
Simply put, Martin has always had the edge over Bezzecchi, with a stronger record across all Grand Prix classes. Now that he’s back to full fitness, it’s hard not to see this title slipping away from him unless another injury gets in the way.
Marc Marquez has fallen out of the 2026 title race
Marquez started the season as the clear favourite to defend his title, but that expectation was built around the idea that he was fully recovered from last year’s shoulder injury.
The Ducati rider didn’t look himself in the opening rounds, and it later came out that a loose screw from his surgery had been pressing on a nerve, affecting his strength and performance.
With Marquez now expected to miss at least two races, climbing back into the title picture looks like an impossible task.
This is a massive opportunity for Bezzecchi to take control of the championship race, but Martin now looks like a strong bet to claim his second premier-class crown.
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