Martin hit with penalty for MotoGP return in Valencia

Jorge Martin will have to serve a double long penalty in this weekend’s Valencia Grand Prix, if he is declared fit to take part in MotoGP’s 2025 finale.

The sanction stems from an incident during the Japanese Grand Prix sprint at Motegi in late September, where Martin made a mistake at the start and collided with his Aprilia team-mate Marco Bezzecchi, taking both riders out of the race.

With the Spaniard missing the grand prix a day later, as well as the following four rounds in Indonesia, Australia, Malaysia and Portugal, it has only taken for a verdict to be issued on the incident.

After undergoing surgery on the shoulder he broke in the accident, Martin returned to the MotoGP paddock on Thursday morning, where he appeared in front of the stewards for his hearing.

Following the review, the stewards concluded that Martin rode ‘irresponsibly’ and created a ‘dangerous situation’ for other riders, deeming a double long lap penalty as the appropriate punishment.

The penalty will apply to the grand prix on Sunday, as opposed to Saturday’s sprint.

Jorge Martin, Aprilia Racing Team, Marco Bezzecchi, Aprilia Racing

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

“During the MotoGP Sprint of the Grand Prix of Japan at Turn 1, you were found to be riding in an irresponsible manner causing a crash, involving rider #72,” read a statement from the stewards.

“This contravenes the specific instructions given to MotoGP competitors and teams, and is considered irresponsible riding causing danger to other competitors. It is therefore an infringement of Article 1.21.2 of the FIM Grand Prix World Championship Regulations.

“Following the penalty protocols issued to teams, this action was deemed to be an incident of Type MGP-CC5: Start of the race/opening lap. Actions that create a dangerous situation for multiple riders and/or causing a crash. As a first offence for the season, the appropriate penalty in this case is a Double Long Lap Penalty.”

The double long lap penalty compounds a wretched first season at Aprilia for Martin, who has had to miss most of the races this season due to a series of injuries.

He was just finding his feet on the RS-GP when he fumbled at the start of the Motegi sprint, sustaining a displaced fracture on his collarbone. He had to fly back to Barcelona a day after the crash, where doctors operated on his broken shoulder.

Martin will undergo medical tests later on Thursday to determine whether he is fit to take part in the Valencia GP. The season finale will be followed by the traditional Valencia test on Tuesday, where Martin is expected to sample the 2026-spec Aprilia for the first time.