Aleix Espargaro fears Aprilia missed out on the ‘ideal’ MotoGP teammate for Jorge Martin

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Aprilia pulled off the coup of signing MotoGP world champion Jorge Martin for the 2025 season. He’ll partner Marco Bezzecchi in an all-new line-up.

Martin made himself available after losing out on a factory Ducati seat to Marc Marquez. Aprilia were the beneficiaries of his fury.

Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Vinales rode for the Noale outfit last year. Espargaro retired from MotoGP at the end of the year and has now taken on a test role at Honda.

Vinales, meanwhile, took the surprising decision to join KTM satellite squad Tech3 rather than stay put. The Austrian manufacturer are now facing a financial crisis, so he may come to regret the move.

That opened the door for Bezzecchi to slot in alongside Martin. He’s signed a multi-year deal after a previous stint at VR46.

The Italian has competed in 60 Grands Prix in the premier class since his 2022 debut. He’s collected three wins, four pole positions and nine podiums thus far.

Aleix Espargaro says Maverick Vinales would have been perfect Aprilia partner for Jorge Martin

Speaking to Serbian outlet SportKlub, Espargaro revealed that he’d played a role in the arrival of compatriot Martin. He needed some convincing before he agreed to join.

But he believes that Aprilia have lost the ideal teammate in Vinales. He’s seen him ‘improve a lot’ in the past few years, reaching a level where he can compete for victories consistently.

However, Bezzecchi still represents a ‘good’ alternative. And he admits that CEO Massimo Rivola has upgraded his line-up overall.

“Massimo and Aprilia made a good move by signing Jorge,” he said. “They were a little lucky, but at the same time they had to convince him, I helped them as much as I could.

“For me, the ideal team would be Jorge and Maverick. Maverick has improved a lot in Aprilia in recent seasons and on the right bike is ready to fight for wins, but he decided to leave.

“After that move, a young Italian rider as hungry as Marco is a good complement to Jorge, so I think Aprilia has a strong team, even stronger than before.”

One Aprilia-linked rider is already vulnerable before start of 2025 MotoGP season

Martin admits he can’t win the 2025 title at Aprilia, but he’s ready to play the long game. He’ll look to quickly assert himself as the team’s number one ahead of Bezzecchi.

Bezzecchi had a ‘very tough’ final year at VR46, so may be low on confidence ahead of his Aprilia debut. Martin, by contrast, rides the high of winning the championship.

Still, Bezzecchi is protected by his long-term contract, and there are no immediate threats from below. Ai Ogura will look to make his case for a factory ride as he joins affiliate Trackhouse on the back of his Moto2 triumph.

But Ogura’s teammate Raul Fernandez doesn’t have Aprilia’s backing. And that makes him vulnerable heading into the 2025 season.