Marco Bezzecchi
Aleix Espargaro ended his MotoGP career in 2024 with Aprilia. The Spaniard was replaced by the champion Jorge Martin for 2025.
Espargaro joined the factory Aprilia team in 2022 after spending five seasons with the then-satellite team Gresini. He achieved his best finish in MotoGP in his first season with the Naole-based outfit, finishing fourth.
Now 35, the Spaniard opted to step away from full-time competition at the end of 2024. Espargaro told his wife he was to retire after his crash in the Sprint race at Jerez – he did not want to fall off his bike anymore.
Aprilia made a major coup by signing Martin to replace Espargaro. Optimism was high for the project, with Marco Bezzecchi also moving from Ducati to partner the 2024 champion.
The 27-year-old said he would not be able to fight for the title this season with Aprilia, focusing his attention on 2026. Espargaro did not buy Martin’s claim, but unbeknownst to him, 2025 would prove to be a nightmare.
Aleix Espargaro told Massimo Rivola it was ‘incredibly unfair’ what is happening to Jorge Martin
Martin suffered fractures to his right hand and left foot after a violent highside during pre-season in Sepang. He was ruled out for the rest of testing, with Aprilia hopeful hw would return for the opening race in Thailand.
However, the Spaniard suffered a motocross crash during his recovery. Martin broke his scaphoid in his left hand, with the troublesome injury ruling him out for the opening three rounds of the season.
The 27-year-old made his return to the grid in Qatar, but was still noticeably struggling. Martin needed help putting his helmet on and could not have a natural position on the bike.
During Sunday’s race, he was struck by Fabio Di Giannantonio’s bike after falling at turn 12. Breaking 11 ribs and suffering a punctured lung, Martin is set for another extended period on the sidelines.
The Aprilia rider has been discharged from hospital in Qatar, but he faces a daunting recovery. Espargaro says Martin will suffer a mental blow with the amount of time he has spent out injured.
Speaking to the Spanish edition of DAZN, the 35-year-old revealed he sent a message to his former boss Massimo Rivola about Martin’s awful luck: “I feel really bad for Jorge, and for Aprilia too,” he said.
“I sent a message to Rivola. I spoke to him after Qatar and I told him it was incredibly unfair that they were going through what they’re going through, but that’s life, that’s elite sport.”
READ MORE: Everything to know about Jorge Martin from net worth to girlfriend
How is Aleix Espargaro doing as Honda’s reserve rider?
After leaving Aprilia, Espargaro has remained in MotoGP in some capacity. The Spaniard has signed as a reserve rider for Honda, helping to gather data and test the RC213V.
His experience has already proved vital for the Japanese manufacturer. Espargaro was loving Honda’s 2025 bike during winter testing – delightful news for Joan Mir as the 2020 champion has struggled for performance since joining from Suzuki in 2023.
So far in 2025, Honda have taken a huge step forward. The manufacturer are second behind Ducati ahead of round five in Jerez. Johann Zarco has been hugely impressive for the LCR team, finishing fourth last time out in Qatar.
Honda will be boosted further by Espargaro making the first wildcard entry of 2025 at Jerez. The Spaniard has already been strong on the RC213V, narrowly missing out on the top 10 in FP1.
Receive racing news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
