The situation between Aprilia and Jorge Martin is set to rumble on throughout the 2025 MotoGP season, with neither party willing to give up their arguments.
Despite missing six out of seven races this year, Martin is looking to leave Aprilia before the 2026 season. The Spaniard has activated an exit clause that allows him to leave the Noale outfit if he is not in a top position after the first six races.
Martin’s exit clause is ‘not common’ in MotoGP, but it could see Aprilia lose their star rider before he has properly got to grips with the RS-GP25. The manufacturer say the clause is invalid due to his limited appearances this season.
But Martin’s injuries are ‘not specified’ in the clause, giving him the right to pursue an early exit. The 2024 champion doubled down on his decision to leave in 2025 in a statement on social media.
Honda have expressed an interest in signing Martin, but they cannot sign him until he breaks free of his contract. The Spaniard’s exit from Aprilia is not final, as he has proposed to extend the trial period for another six Grand Prix from where he returns.
Massimo Rivola says Aprilia’s ‘priority number one’ is to have a faster bike
Martin is unsatisfied with the performance of the RS-GP, with the manufacturer struggling for consistency in his absence. Before the British Grand Prix, rookie Ai Ogura was the highest-placed rider in 10th.
Marco Bezzecchi’s victory at Silverstone was a much-needed confidence boost for Aprilia, but Massimo Rivola knows the team have to improve to perform consistently.
Speaking via The Race MotoGP Podcast, the Aprilia chief says the bike’s main priority is to have a ‘faster bike’. The Noale outfit have moved ahead of KTM and Yamaha in the standings, but they need stronger pace to stay there.
“I don’t know. The thing that we need to do is to have a faster bike, that is priority number one,” he said.
“We would like to work with Jorge, we got the contract for him for that reason. We just wanted to state that part, because we had the press, especially from the Spanish press, a lot of b——- and we felt it was the time to make, let’s say a point, to say: ‘this is the situation.”
READ MORE: Everything to know about Aprilia from the MotoGP team’s riders to hierarchy
Marco Bezzecchi proved to Jorge Martin at Silverstone that Aprilia can be competitive
Aprilia’s win at Silverstone proves the RS-GP is a competitive machine. Bezzecchi told Aleix Espargaro the bike was strong all weekend as he inherited victory from Fabio Quartararo’s heartbreaking retirement.
Espargaro says everyone knew Aprilia’s bike was not bad before the race. Silverstone would have been vindication for the manufacturer that the machine is capable of strong results.
Rivola says Aprilia sent a clear message to Martin with Bezzecchi’s win, but no one is getting carried away. Aprilia do not feel ‘smug’ toward Martin about the victory, as they want to keep working with him transparently and professionally.
The win could be a one-off, but if they can improve the bike, it could be key to keeping Martin on board for 2026. However, after his latest statement, it seems incredibly likely that the Spaniard will be riding elsewhere next season.
