Jorge Martín puts it clearly: he has not yet made the Aprilia his own. The 2024 champion arrives at Le Mans second in the World Championship, behind his teammate Marco Bezzecchi. He made the statement before the French weekend and it was reported by Motorsport.com. "It won't be long", he summed up. The underlying idea is straightforward: the bike works, the results come, but the rider still doesn't feel it's his.

Aprilia, leading the championship

The picture of the start of 2026 favours the Noale brand. Bezzecchi leads the overall standings. Martín follows him. Aprilia is, today, the reference that Ducati and KTM have to chase.

The nuance is important: a brand can lead due to specific circumstances, but having two riders up in the first races is a sign of a competitive package. The RS-GP 2026 works. The question is how much margin remains to exploit.

Le Mans serves as a thermometer. It's a demanding layout for braking and traction out of slow corners. If Aprilia confirms pace here, the message to the paddock is direct.

Martín and adapting to the RS-GP

Martín himself has been charting his adaptation curve with honesty. He doesn't hide the fact that there are areas of the bike he still isn't using to their full potential. He said so in the build-up to Le Mans, statements reported by Crash.net: he expects to take "another step" during the French weekend.

The difference with Bezzecchi weighs heavily. The Italian has spent more time on the RS-GP. He knows its windows, its limits and, above all, how to extract performance when conditions tighten. Martín, who arrived this year from Ducati, is still translating sensations from one bike to another.

"Making a bike your own", in paddock language, means something concrete: being able to ride it without thinking, trusting the front end with your eyes closed, opening the throttle before the apex without hesitation. Martín says he's not there yet. But he also says it won't be long.

The internal battle: Bezzecchi ahead

The situation leaves Aprilia in a position that is both delicate and favourable. Two riders at the top of the championship. No declared team orders. With the World Championship still wide open.

Recent championship history shows that these balances hold up as long as points are scattered. When one of the two gains real advantage, teams usually adjust their strategy. For now there are no public signs of friction.

Martín has not asked for preferential treatment. Bezzecchi doesn't need it either: he wins on track. Tension, if it comes, will come later.

What Martín has to gain at Le Mans

The Spanish rider's objective in France is twofold. Close the gap to Bezzecchi and validate that the adaptation process is progressing. If Martín delivers a solid weekend, his message of "it won't be long" gains credibility.

Ducati, according to Motorsport.com Italia, arrives at Le Mans with the label of theoretical favourite. Marc Márquez has spoken of "many unknowns" in the build-up, statements reported by Crash.net. The race is not decided on paper.

For Martín, each Grand Prix is another layer of information about the RS-GP. A rider's adaptation to a new bike is not resolved in a winter test: it is resolved on Sunday, with the tyres working and the tank half empty.

Why is Martín still not performing to his maximum with the Aprilia after a season?

Rider-to-bike adaptation in MotoGP is not linear. Each manufacturer has a different chassis philosophy, electronics and weight distribution. Martín comes from years with Ducati, a bike with very specific behaviour in braking and corner entry. Reprogramming automatisms takes time, and it shows especially in limit conditions.

What sets Bezzecchi apart from Martín in this phase?

Kilometres on the RS-GP. Bezzecchi knows the bike in more scenarios: with fresh tyres, with used tyres, in the wet, with aggressive setup changes. That internal library of references is what Martín is building race after race.

Is there team orders at Aprilia?

As of today there are no public statements pointing in that direction. Both riders compete freely for points. The situation can change if the gap between them grows.

Martín's statement remains, for now, as a hypothesis to be confirmed on track. Le Mans will tell if the "it won't be long" translates into real tenths on the stopwatch or if making the Aprilia his own needs more Grand Prix races to be completed.