Jorge Martin says persistent front-end issues left him without the “spark to push” after missing out on a direct place in Qualifying 2 for the Czech Grand Prix. 

The Spaniard could only set the 11th-fastest lap time during Friday Practice at Brno, ending up 0.6s off the ultimate pace aboard the factory Aprilia.

He was the only rider from the Italian manufacturer who didn’t progress into Q2; Trackhouse’s Ai Ogura topped the times ahead of works rider Marco Bezzecchi, while Raul Fernandez also made the cut while still recovering from appendicitis.

MotoGP Czech GP: Ai Ogura leads Marco Bezzecchi in Friday practice, Jorge Martin to Q1

Martin made it clear that his one-lap struggles were not down to his physical fitness, insisting his recent crash at the start of the Hungarian GP had no impact on his performance on track.

Instead, he revealed that he simply lacked the confidence to push due to inexplicable issues with the front tyre on his RS-GP.

“I had good fun on the bike. I was always on the limit,” he said. “Physically, I feel much better than what I expected, so this is really good. I don't feel any limitation at all while riding. For sure, off the track, I feel the pain, but on the track, everything is good.

“Overall, I felt a really low feeling with the front during practice. I think I had some issue with the front tyre. 

“Then I lost all that confidence. When I went into time attack, I didn't have that spark to push. I was improving every run, but I didn't have it, and I wasn't able to go to Q2.”

Jorge Martin, Aprilia Racing Team

Martin said the problem he faced at Brno on Friday was similar to the issue that held him back during the previous two rounds in Italy and Hungary.

"Yes, it's been a few races [where I’ve had this problem]," he admitted. "Mugello, then Balaton, and now here, a bit of the same issue with the front. 

“I don't really understand why, but we need to analyse and check what is going on.
I feel we improved a lot during the practice, but still I'm far from the other guys, so we need to understand for tomorrow.”

However, Martin remains optimistic about his chances for Saturday, where he will have another chance to make it into Q2.

“I think tomorrow will be another story. Everything will come to normal,” he said. “For sure, we need to work. It's not that it will come just like this, but I feel that the other athletes are going fast. For sure, something was wrong with my motorbike.”

Martin will have to serve a double long-lap penalty in Sunday’s race, with the stewards having found him guilty of triggering the opening lap melee at Balaton Park a fortnight ago.

The 2024 champion tried the long-lap loop several times during practice to prepare, admitting the asphalt was dirty as expected.

Jorge Martin, Aprilia Racing Team

“It was really dirty in the morning,” he said. “Every lap is a bit better, but you cannot lean like usual. I hope some of the Moto2 riders also have long laps because I was watching the practice, and nobody was going there, just myself.

“But every in-lap, out-lap, I'm going there, and I feel now it's much better than in the morning.

“Overall, in terms of safety, I think it's safer to go on the green [section], because if somebody comes [in my way], I just go there. I don't lose a lot.

“Honestly, I'm cleaning quite a lot, and I hope that I will be losing around 1.5s, so it's not a disaster for each long lap. It's not a disaster, and I think it's one of the fastest things in the calendar.”

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MotoGP is not currently holding any discussions over adding further street circuits to the calendar, with the series stressing that Adelaide will remain a standalone case for the foreseeable future. 

Earlier this year, the championship sparked a major debate by announcing that Adelaide will replace the popular Phillip Island Circuit as the venue for the Australian Grand Prix in 2027.

The proposed event will see the next-generation 850cc bikes racing around the city centre and Victoria Park, on a site previously used by Formula 1 from 1985 to 1995.

Following initial concerns from fans about rider safety at a fully urban venue, MotoGP had already clarified that the Adelaide project didn’t mark a shift to broader city-based tracks.

Now, MotoGP SEG sporting director Carlos Ezpeleta has reiterated that position, revealing that the series is not discussing the possibility of replicating that concept in other cities at present.

“There are two very distinct sorts of scenarios,” Ezpeleta told select media at Brno.

“One is Buenos Aires, which is a huge opportunity for us with an urban population of 14 million people, and a permanent circuit in the centre of that. 

“That is easier than something like Adelaide, where there's a specific geographical feat about the city where they can build something and take it down. 

“With regards to Adelaide, we're not having any other conversation like that at the moment.

Carlos Ezpeleta, Dorna Sports

“The world has to sort of see what that looks like, and it's an incredible opportunity also for MotoGP to showcase that it is possible.

“We're really, really excited, but we're not having any other conversations like that.”

Under new owner Liberty Media, MotoGP is pushing on bringing the series closer to fans, with the addition of both the Adelaide street circuit and the revamped permanent track in Argentina’s capital city a part of the same strategy.

Separately, Liberty is also exploring the possibility of bringing MotoGP to Miami, which has become an important commercial destination for F1.

MotoGP is indeed holding discussions to race at the Miami Autodrome in the long term, but Ezpeleta clarified that he doesn’t view the Florida venue as a bona fide street circuit.

“I consider Miami and Adelaide very different,” he said, referring to the temporary circuit built around the Hard Rock Stadium.

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