Ducati may block rival Aprilia’s request for in-season Jorge Martin test

Ducati boss Davide Tardozzi has said the Italian factory will not agree to Aprilia’s request for Jorge Martin to test his MotoGP bike ahead of a mooted return from injury at next month’s Qatar Grand Prix.

On Friday, Aprilia revealed it will ask other manufacturers to agree to a regulation change allowing the reigning world champion to test his machine before returning from injury.

But Tardozzi rebuffed that idea at this weekend’s Argentina Grand Prix, referencing his own squad’s experiences when trying to judge Enea Bastianini’s return to race action after his lengthy injury layoffs in 2023.

“We faced the same problem with Enea, but nobody gave us the opportunity to let him test,” he said on Saturday.

While Tardozzi would support the idea of a rule change for 2026, he saw no reason to back a spontaneous request that would benefit a specific competitor this season.

“I think it could be a good idea for the future,” Tardozzi added. “There is a good opportunity to change the rules for next year.

Jorge Martin, Aprilia Racing

Photo by: Aprilia Racing

“[But] when Jorge recovers, he will be one of our big rivals. We know Jorge very well and we know he will be one of the guys that will fight with us for victories.”

Ducati itself was unwilling to back Tardozzi’s stance at this stage, claiming that it did not yet have an official request to which to respond. The manufacturer’s statement read: “Ducati’s position is very clear: we are waiting for news from the Motorcycle Sports Manufacturers Association and when something official is said, we will evaluate it.”

Martin has had a stuttering start to his Aprilia career after switching from Pramac, where he won the 2024 world championship on a Ducati. 

The Spaniard fell early in February’s Sepang test, missing the rest of pre-season preparations in order to recover from the injuries he sustained. 

Having done so in time to start the season, he then broke his left hand in a training accident shortly before the opener in Thailand. Martin thus missed the opening weekend on the 1-2 March and is also skipping the Argentina round.

On Thursday, he also ruled out a return at the season’s third round in Austin on the 29-30 March.

So, the Qatar Grand Prix on the 11-13 April will be the first possible opportunity for a comeback – but Ducati’s stance means he is now unlikely to have the benefit of a MotoGP test beforehand.  

Photos from Argentina GP – Practice & Qualifying