Aprilia Racing CEO Massimo Rivola said he would have accepted a more severe punishment for Jorge Martin after the reigning MotoGP world champion triggered a multi-rider crash on the opening lap of the Hungarian GP, arguing that rider safety must remain the sport’s highest priority.
Martin came under intense scrutiny after losing control of his Aprilia while braking into Turn 1 at Balaton Park Circuit on Sunday’s Grand Prix. The incident collected several riders, including his Aprilia teammate Marco Bezzecchi, as well as Raul Fernandez, Fermin Aldeguer and Fabio Di Giannantonio.
MotoGP stewards handed Martin a double long-lap penalty for the next race, the standard sanction under championship regulations for a first opening-lap offense of the season. While acknowledging that the penalty complied with the rulebook, Rivola suggested stronger disciplinary action could have been justified given the seriousness of the crash.
“Regarding the penalty, honestly, because we talk so much about safety, I wouldn’t disagree if it had been even tougher,” Rivola told MotoGP.com.
“Turn 1 is dangerous. The riders are already taking risks everywhere, so adding even more unnecessary risk isn’t something we need.”
Although relieved that none of the riders suffered serious injuries, Rivola admitted he was deeply disappointed by the mistake, particularly because it involved the reigning world champion.
“First of all, I want to apologize to all the riders involved in the accident,” he said. “Secondly, this was a fortunate day because, considering the nature of the crash, the outcome could have been much worse for everyone.”
Rivola revealed that Martin approached him shortly after the race to apologize for the incident, but said the error remained difficult to overlook despite the rider accepting responsibility.
“I spoke very briefly with Jorge. I listened more than I talked,” Rivola said. “He apologized to everyone, but it’s still difficult to accept.”
The Aprilia chief compared the incident with Martin’s opening-lap crash at last year’s Japanese GP, where the Spaniard also received a double long-lap penalty. However, Rivola argued that the circumstances surrounding the two incidents were significantly different.
“I believe a world champion shouldn’t make mistakes like that,” Rivola said. “But it happened, and hopefully it becomes another lesson. In Japan he was overly optimistic. Here, he simply failed to control the front under braking and found himself on the wrong part of the track.”
The crash also had significant implications for the 2026 MotoGP championship battle. Although Bezzecchi retained the championship lead despite being caught in the opening-lap incident, Martin missed an opportunity to reduce the gap after a costly weekend.
Meanwhile, Marc Marquez capitalized on the chaos by completing a perfect weekend at Balaton Park, winning both the Sprint and Sunday’s Grand Prix aboard the Ducati Lenovo machine.
Marquez’s maximum points haul reduced his deficit to championship leader Bezzecchi to 72 points, while Martin remained 20 points behind his teammate in second place.
With more than half of the season still remaining, Rivola acknowledged that Martin’s costly mistake in Hungary could ultimately prove to be one of the defining moments of the 2026 title race. As the championship battle intensifies, every point has become increasingly valuable, making avoidable errors such as the Balaton Park crash far more significant than a single disappointing race weekend.
