Jorge Martin has informed Aprilia of his decision to leave the manufacturer at the end of the 2025 MotoGP season.
It comes after it was discovered that the defending champion has an exit clause in his two-year contract that allows him to leave if he is not in a competitive position after six races.
Martin informed Aprilia at the French Grand Prix that he would be activating said clause. This is despite the fact that the Spaniard has only competed in one race for the Noale-based manufacturer.
The 2024 MotoGP champion missed all of pre-season and the first three rounds of the season with multiple injuries over the winter. He returned to the grid in Qatar, only to suffer a horror crash with Fabio Di Giannantonio and leave him hospitalised with 11 broken ribs.
Martin has barely ridden the RS-GP25, but he is already dissatisfied with what he has seen at Aprilia so far. Their operations ‘behind the scenes’ may have been a factor in his decision to leave.
Aprilia’s ‘inconsistent’ way of working ‘behind the scenes’ may have alienated Jorge Martin
Aprilia are bottom of the standings after six Grand Prix. While the likes of Marco Bezzecchi, Ai Ogura and Raul Fernandez have shown flashes of speed, it has clearly not been enough to inspire Martin.
Speaking on the Paddock Pass Podcast, journalist Adam Wheeler discussed ‘rumours’ that Aprilia’s way of working is ‘inconsistent’. It was the reason why Maverick Vinales moved to KTM in 2025, and it may have alienated Martin despite having little to no knowledge of their bike.
| Pos. | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | Ducati | 217 |
| 2 | Honda | 85 |
| 3 | KTM | 76 |
| 4 | Yamaha | 72 |
| 5 | Aprilia | 62 |
“The other thing is that we kind of hear rumours and talk that Aprilia, behind the scenes, the way they work can be a little bit inconsistent, for want of a nicer word,” said Wheeler.
“This is one reason that Maverick Vinales, who’s shown that he’s still a very fast MotoGP rider capable of taking trophies, wanted to try something different for 2025.
“But then the counter to that is that Jorge Martin’s best friend is the guy that knows Aprilia better than anybody, advocated both for the factory and for the rider and essentially was pretty much a matchmaker in putting the deal together.
“So if Jorge’s getting cold feet about the way that Aprilia work, then you’d think he would have known about that thanks to Aleix’s feedback.”
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Jorge Martin may have triggered Aprilia exit clause after speaking to Marco Bezzecchi
Martin has already had several ‘secret’ meetings, including with Aprilia, regarding his future with the manufacturer. Aprilia will certainly fight their case for the Spaniard to see out his contract as previously agreed.
But the 27-year-old is not impressed with the team behind the scenes. Veteran MotoGP agent Carlo thinks Martin spoke to Bezzecchi about the bike, which prompted his decision to leave, as it might not have met his expectations.
Martin’s exit from Aprilia is not definite just yet, as the 27-year-old is said to have given the team another six races to convince him to stay. Reports have varied about the timeline of said six races, ranging from Brno to mid-September, but regardless, it is unclear if Martin will be fit enough to race.
Honda are said to be the Spaniard’s preferred destination if he chooses to leave Aprilia. But Giacomo Agostini warned Martin about Honda, stressing he cannot be sure if they will be an upgrade come 2026.
