Reigning MotoGP world champion Jorge Martin has confirmed his desire to leave Aprilia at the end of the 2025 campaign, one year into a two-season contract with the Italian brand.
After the French Grand Prix earlier in May, news emerged that Martin was seeking to use a clause in his contract to leave Aprilia, after multiple injuries have kept him out of all but one of the seven rounds contested so far this season.
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The performance clause allows Martin to walk away should he not achieve certain results in the opening six rounds, with Martin scoreless and sitting last in the MotoGP riders’ standings after multiple injuries from pre-season testing, off-track training and in the Qatar Grand Prix in round four, the only event he’s competed in this season.
In Malaysia pre-season testing in February, Martin broke his right hand and left foot after a violent high-side, requiring surgery for both fractures. Training on a supermoto bike as part of his recovery in Andorra, the Spaniard crashed and fractured his left radius and scaphoid, missing the opening three rounds of the season in Thailand, Argentina and Austin. On his return in Qatar, Martin crashed into the path of Ducati rider Fabio Di Giannantonio and suffered 11 fractured ribs and a collapsed lung.
As yet, there is no timetable for his return.
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At last weekend’s British Grand Prix, Aprilia issued a statement indicating Martin’s contract is binding, and warned other teams off attempting to sign him.
“The contract between Aprilia Racing and Jorge Martin is valid and in effect, and as such, it must be respected by both parties until its expiration (end of 2026),” the statement said.
“Aprilia Racing denies that any negotiations have taken place between the parties to modify the duration of the contract, which remains as originally agreed upon. The team has no comment on matters that do not directly concern it but expects other teams to refrain from making any kind of offer to riders who are under contract. Such behaviour would, in any case, not be legitimate.”
PIT TALK PODCAST: In the latest episode of Pit Talk, hosts Renita Vermeulen and Matt Clayton review Marco Bezzecchi’s win for Aprilia at an action-packed British Grand Prix, discuss Fabio Quartararo’s heartache for Yamaha, look at Jack Miller’s role in Yamaha’s resurgence, and celebrate the first world championship victory for Aussie Moto2 young gun, Senna Agius.
Via social media on Thursday night AEST, Martin, 27, released a statement to give a “clear explanation about my position”.
“At no time have I ever breached the contract,” he said.
“When we signed it, I agreed with Aprilia that, if certain circumstances were not met, I reserved the right to decide my future for 2026. This was an essential condition for me to accept the contract proposal they offered me at that time.
“When I made the decision to change manufacturers last year, one of my premises was to have the possibility to test the bike in real circumstances and to understand the team and its working methodology. In this way I could feel comfortable signing for two years instead of one, and so we included that condition.
“Faced with the situation of having to make a decision on a date that is established by contract, I have decided to exercise my right to release myself for the 2026 season.
“I have always been open to dialogue with Aprilia to extend this period to a certain number of Grand Prix after my return to competition. The aim is that both parties can give each other a second chance and feel comfortable before making a decision for 2026.
“The only thing I ask is that my will and the spirit of what we agreed at the time with Aprilia be respected.”
Aprilia is yet to respond to Martin’s social media post.
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Martin signed with Aprilia last June after a contract was signed hastily and immediately after the Italian Grand Prix, when it emerged the factory Ducati team were signing six-time MotoGP champion Marc Marquez as Francesco Bagnaia’s teammate for 2025, the third time in as many years Martin had been overlooked for a seat at Ducati’s top team.
Riding for satellite Ducati outfit Pramac Racing, Martin went on to win the 2024 world title by beating Bagnaia, and took the number 1 plate reserved for the world champion with him to Aprilia in an all-new line-up with fellow former Ducati rider, Marco Bezzecchi.
Three days after Aprilia’s statement on Martin’s contract, Bezzecchi won the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, Aprilia’s first victory since Maverick Vinales won the Grand Prix of the Americas in April 2024.
With just four of the grid’s 22 riders coming off contract at the end of 2025, Martin’s likely preferred destination will be Honda’s factory team, which has Italian Luca Marini contracted until the end of this season.
Marini, 27, suffered multiple serious injuries in Japan on Wednesday after going from Silverstone to test for this year’s Suzuka 8 Hour event, suffering a dislocated left hip, damage to left knee ligaments, fractures to his sternum and left collarbone and a collapsed lung in a crash.
Martin has used a performance clause to walk away from a MotoGP contract before, after he was set to debut in MotoGP with KTM in 2021.
A termination clause in his deal meant that Martin was free to void his contract if there was no KTM rider inside the top 10 of the standings by June 2020, which, because no racing took place until July because of the covid pandemic, offered an escape route that was exploited.
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