Aprilia Question Whether Australian GP Cancellation Benefits Jorge Martin

Pulse Sports Team 13:28 - 25 October 2026

Aprilia Racing CEO Massimo Rivola has cast doubt on suggestions that the cancellation of the Australian Grand Prix gives Jorge Martin a major advantage in the MotoGP world championship fight.

Heavy rainfall and severely compromised visibility forced organisers to call off Sunday's main race at Phillip Island. As a result, the gap at the top of the standings between championship leader Marc Marquez and title rival Martin remained frozen at ten points following Saturday's Sprint.

The Spaniard had been ruled out of Sunday's race due to a fractured wrist suffered in a crash, opening the door for Marquez to extend his points cushion. The cancellation, however, left the status quo intact.

Uncertainty Over Remaining Rounds

Following further medical examinations, Martin is targeting a return as early as next weekend's Malaysian Grand Prix. However, question marks persist over how many rounds will actually take place before the end of the 2026 season, given doubts surrounding the Qatar event scheduled immediately after Sepang.

Addressing the situation, Rivola commented:

"On one hand, there is a lot to discuss, but on the other, we simply do as we are instructed. We do this job because of our passion for it. If the organisers deem conditions safe and fit for racing, we head out and race. We are in no position to refuse to participate. At the moment, we are assuming there are four races left. I don't know whether that is good or bad for Jorge, because if he is not at full physical fitness, it certainly does not work in his favour. But that is completely out of our hands."

Although Martin will make the trip to Malaysia to evaluate his physical condition on-site, Rivola acknowledged that taking part in the race will be an uphill battle.

"I would love for our journey together to finish in the best possible way—with him fully recovered and at 100 percent physically. He delivered a brilliant ride yesterday; we saw the true Jorge, and I believe he had a genuine chance of winning. But sometimes unfortunate things happen. We haven't had much luck, but we certainly won't throw in the towel until the very end," the Aprilia boss added.