Because Jorge Martin is disappointed with the performance of the Aprilia RS-GP, he wants to invoke an exit clause – Aprilia sees no reason for this due to injuries
Jorge Martin appears to have the intention of leaving Aprilia at the end of the 2025 MotoGP season. This information was obtained by Motorsport.com Spain during the Le Mans weekend.
Martin wants to invoke a clause in his contract that allows him to terminate the second year of his contract (2026) early if he is not among the top riders in the world championship after the French Grand Prix.
The contract was signed on the chaotic Monday of testing after the Mugello weekend in 2024. This agreement between Aprilia and the reigning world champion currently has no binding effect for the second year of the contract.
According to the latest information, Martin’s representatives included a clause in the contract at the time stating that their client would be free to accept any offer from a competitor if he was no longer among the title contenders after the French Grand Prix in Le Mans.
The many setbacks Martin has suffered since winning the world title, which have prevented him from participating in five of the six races so far this season, have meant that the Madrid native has not yet scored a single point and is last in the overall standings.
This scenario – hardly imaginable when the contract was signed in June last year – could now lead to an unexpected turnaround in the transfer market. However, Aprilia does not want to stand idly by and watch its key rider leave without being able to seriously fight for points.
Two injuries in preseason prevented the number 1 rider from participating in the first three Grands Prix of the year. His comeback in Qatar came too early, as he had not yet fully recovered, and he suffered another serious injury there.
He had to stay in a hospital in Doha for almost two weeks after suffering a pneumothorax. Although it is currently unclear how quickly the rider will recover, a return around the Sachsenring in mid-July is considered the earliest possibility.
With many riders already under contract for next year, there are few realistic options for Martin. The most obvious would be a move to Honda, as Luca Marini’s contract with the factory team expires at the end of this season.
However, according to current information, Honda will not comment until Martin has clarified the situation with Aprilia and is contractually free. Johann Zarco confirmed after his Le Mans victory that he will remain with Honda. It is still unclear which team he will join.
Aprilia is aware of Jorge Martin’s intentions
According to information from Motorsport.com Spain, Martin was in Le Mans on Friday. He traveled there by car from his home in Andorra. To avoid attracting attention, he did not show up at the track, but held several talks behind the scenes.
During lunch with his team, he informed Aprilia officials that he would like to invoke the exit clause for 2026. The news sent the management in Noale into shock.
Legal action is now being considered for breach of contract should Martin actually go through with his plan. However, out of respect for Aprilia, he is willing to extend the deadline by another six races, until the San Marino GP in September.
Aprilia, on the other hand, believes it is in a legal position to block a possible departure. The manufacturer is of the opinion that the rider’s injury-related absence invalidates the exit clause and sees no reason to extend the deadline.
Martin is closely watching the performances of his Aprilia teammates and is disappointed. He believes that the RS-GP does not meet the standards that Aprilia promised him when he signed his contract. His teammate Marco Bezzecchi has not even made it onto the podium so far.
In fact, Ai Ogura – a rookie in MotoGP and rider for the Trackhouse customer team – is the highest-placed Aprilia rider in the overall standings in tenth place. Bezzecchi is in twelfth place with 38 points – 133 fewer than championship leader Marc Marquez.
In the manufacturer standings, Aprilia is in last place after six race weekends. A change in the regulations would now give Martin the opportunity to complete a private test before his comeback. Exact plans for this are not known at present.