Chaos within the MotoGP world has ensued over the past few weeks. Rumours of World Champion, Jorge Martin, have been circulating in recent times. Reports said that the recovering Martin supposedly plans on ending his contract 1 year earlier.
In this blog, we will go over the backstory to these speculations as well as what Aprilia has to say about the situation (as of the 22nd May).
The Backstory
It is reported that Jorge Martin had a clause within his contract with Aprilia that releases him from their partnership. The condition to this clause is as followed; if he was not in the top 3 during the World Championship following the French Grand Prix then he could make an early exit from his 2 year contract.
Before the season begun, he had 2 injuries already. This put him in the side-lines for 3 rounds at first. When he finally made his return, he suffered another injury. The severity of the injury put him in the hospital for 2 weeks. This means that he missed even more races.
Fast forward to today, we are 3 days away from the British Grand Prix in Silverstone. If this clause is in fact valid and real then legally Martin can make his exit pre 2026.
Aprilia’s Statement
Aprilia took to Instagram to release an official statement regarding the speculation of their racer leaving. They commented saying that these are nothing but rumours; “The contract between Aprilia and Jorge Martin is valid and in effect.”
Despite the clause rumours, Martin is set to finish his contract with Aprilia until they say otherwise. Aprilia is remaining firm in the fact that Jorge is not leaving. However currently, he seems unfit to compete in any races up until at least the German Grand Prix on the 11-13th July.
Other Speculation
Aprilia furthered their comment saying that they expect other teams to refrain from giving offers to riders currently under contracts. This is being speculated as aimed at Honda, who are interested in Jorge Martin. If Martin is leaving early, Honda is the most expected next destination for the reigning World Champion.
Overall, may rumours are present on social media and only with time will MotoGP fans see what happens. Will Jorge leave? Or will he return and manage to defend his WDC title? Let us know what you think and if you enjoyed this blog, read more here!
UPDATE
New information has surfaced as Jorge Martin has released an official statement on his Instagram story. He is officially released from his contract at the end of the year 2025. His story reads “I have decided to exercise my right to release myself for the 2026 season.” Many fans are facing shock, whilst others express their disappointment with Martin. They feel as if he is exploiting how kind Aprilia were and that he is acting like a “diva.” This is coming from the fact that he left Ducati last season.
Fans are also stating that he didn’t even give Aprilia a good chance and that they expected better. However ultimately, it is up to Martin and Aprilia to dispute this and decide his future.
Some people are speculating that the reason for Martin not seeing this opportunity through is due to Honda. As previously mentioned, Honda seems to have an interest in signing him. People are speculating that he has in fact received an offer and obviously intending to take it yet we will only know this for sure once the 2026 season begins. Stay tuned for any updates regarding Jorge and Aprilia!