Jorge Martin became the first independent team rider to win the world championship in the MotoGP era, so Full Oversteer takes a look at everything that you need to know.
The premier class saw Martin display his potential from the moment Pramac gave him a bike on the MotoGP grid in 2021. It took the Martinator, as he is nicknamed, just six races to take a top-tier race win. The 2021 Grand Prix of Styria saw Martin take his first MotoGP race win.
Victories on the world championship stage had not been all that common for Martin during his rise through Moto3 and Moto2. Bar taking seven race wins over the 2018 Moto3 season to also seal the riders’ title, Martin won eight of his 67 Moto3 races and two of 32 in Moto2.
Improving his consistency and dialling out many of the errors that thwarted the Spaniard in 2023 also took Martin to the MotoGP title in 2024, before immediately hoping off his Ducati Desmosedici GP24 and leaving Pramac for Aprilia having missed out on a factory promotion.
Jorge Martin is a qualifying specialist and the 2024 MotoGP champion
Where Martin has thrived more often than not in MotoGP has been during qualifying as the Spaniard is a specialist across one lap. The 2022 season especially showcased his speed in qualifying with five pole positions and a raft of new lap records – just without any race wins.
It was then in the 2023 season that Martin fully emerged as a MotoGP title contender as he bagged four wins in 20 races. Only a retirement in the season-ending Grand Prix of Valencia made the standings look more favourably for the champion Francesco Bagnaia at 39 points.
Martin had not won a title in any class since his lightweight championship triumph from the 2018 Moto3 season. His first world championship crown arrived four years after Martin won the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup in 2014 by 57 points to Joan Mir with six wins in 14 races.
Championship joy in the premier class then arrived in 2024, as Martin became the first rider to win a title with an independent team in the MotoGP era by denying Bagnaia by 10 points. Valentino Rossi was the last independent team champion back in the 2001 500cc campaign.
Bagnaia won more Grand Prix than Martin in the 2024 MotoGP season with 11 to three, but consistency was key. The Spaniard got 10 second-place finishes in 20 rounds to the Italian’s one. Martin also failed to finish two Grand Prix plus two Sprints to Bagnaia’s three plus five.
But who really is Martin and what is the Aprilia rider’s life outside of the MotoGP grid truly like? Full Oversteer takes a deep dive into everything that you need to know about Martin…
Who is Aprilia rider Jorge Martin?
Jorge Martin is a Spanish motorcycle racer currently riding with Aprilia in the MotoGP world championship. He joined Aprilia to become a factory rider immediately after Martin won the 2024 MotoGP title for Pramac, having agreed to pen a multi-year contract during June 2024.
Martin secured his switch from satellite Ducati machinery at Pramac to a factory Aprilia ride after the Bologna Bullets chose to overlook the Spaniard for the promotion to replace Enea Bastianini beside Francesco Bagnaia in favour of signing Marc Marquez to join from Gresini.
Aprilia first welcomed Martin into their garage during the post-season test two days after he won the MotoGP title at the 2024 Solidarity Grand Prix of Barcelona with Pramac. His debut race riding for the Italian manufacturer will be the 2025 Grand Prix of Thailand on March 2.
How old is Jorge Martin? When was he born?
At the time of writing, Jorge Martin is 26 years old and he was born on January 29, 1998.
Where was Jorge Martin born? What is his nationality?
Jorge Martin was born in Madrid, the capital city of Spain. Madrid registered a population of 3,277,000 residents in its 2021 census, making it Spain’s most populous city by 1.4 million.
How tall is Jorge Martin? What is his height in feet?
Standing at a height of 1.68 metres tall, Jorge Martin measures in at 5 ft 6 in feet.
Meet Jorge Martin’s girlfriend, Maria Monfort Matutes
Jorge Martin has been dating his girlfriend Maria Monfort Matutes since February 2022. The MotoGP star appreciates the support the model provides him personally and professionally.
Social media influencer Monfort is also the granddaughter of Abel Matutes Juan, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation of Spain. She is the daughter of Matutes’ eldest daughter Carmen Matutes and the Basque businessman Alejandro Monfort.
Jorge Martin’s net worth
No reputable publication currently cites a net worth for Jorge Martin. But reports place his net worth anywhere in the region of £1-4m. Martin can also expect his net worth to explode in 2025 when he joins Aprilia, earning far more as a factory rider than on a satellite Ducati.
Why Jorge Martin chose 89 as his permanent MotoGP race number
Jorge Martin picked 89 for his permanent race number when graduating to MotoGP in 2021 with Pramac. Yet it was not the number the Spaniard actually wanted on his plate as Martin prefers 88, but Miguel Oliveira had chosen that as his permanent race number back in 2019.
It is also likely that Martin will run the No1 plate on his bike when the Spaniard joins Aprilia in 2025 as the defending MotoGP champion. But he dodged direct questions about running the No1 plate instead of his permanent MotoGP race number, 89, after lifting the 2024 title.
What’s been said about Jorge Martin? Is he any good?
Ask Jorge Martin and the Spaniard will tell you “I’m the best rider there is” in MotoGP given his speed, especially in qualifying when the bike is dancing on its limits. He is also extremely strong in Sprint Races as the reduced distance means riders do not save their tyres as much.
Long-time MotoGP technician Ramon Forcada has also sung Martin’s praises, noting in May 2024: “Martin last year was nervous, under pressure. That is no longer the case. He gained this experience that he didn’t have before. Plus, he’s having fun. He’s in another galaxy.”
Pramac team manager Gino Borsoi also praised Martin in May 2024 after watching him start the MotoGP season in scintillating style after a winter of learning. Aboard his satellite Ducati Desmosedici GP24, Martin won the Sprint in Qatar before taking the Grand Prix of Portugal.
Borsoi noted: “It was a great job by Ducati but also by Martin, who focused on physical and mental preparation in the winter, which helped him a lot to manage the races. In fact, in the first four races [including the Sprints], we reached the podium four times. He is Martin 4.0.”
Jorge Martin’s Grand Prix career racing stats
Jorge Martin started to make a name for himself in motorcycle racing after entering the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup, in which he won the title in 2014. The Spaniard has shone on the world championship since, rising up from Moto3 plus Moto2 to be a champion in MotoGP.
2012 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup: 14 races, 0 wins, 0 podiums, 0 pole positions
2013 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup: 14 races, 2 wins, 5 podiums, 1 pole position
2014 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup: 14 races, 6 wins, 10 podiums, 4 pole positions, 1 title
2014 Moto3 Junior World Championship: 3 races, 0 wins, 0 podiums, 0 pole positions
2015 Moto3: 18 races, 0 wins, 0 podiums, 0 pole positions
2016 Moto3: 16 races, 1 win, 9 podiums, 9 pole positions
2017 Moto3: 18 races, 0 wins, 1 podium, 0 pole positions
2018 Moto3: 17 races, 7 wins, 10 podiums, 11 pole positions, 1 title
2019 Moto2: 19 races, 0 wins, 2 podiums, 0 pole positions
2020 Moto2: 13 races, 2 wins, 6 podiums, 1 pole position
2021 MotoGP: 14 races, 1 win, 4 podiums, 4 pole positions
2022 MotoGP: 20 races, 0 wins, 4 podiums, 5 pole positions
2023 MotoGP: 20 races, 4 wins, 9 Sprint wins, 8 podiums, 4 pole positions
2024 MotoGP: 20 races, 3 wins, 7 Sprint wins, 16 podiums, 7 pole positions, 1 title