Jorge Martin’s strange move in the Le Mans paddock has taken on a new meaning after Aprilia bombshell

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Jorge Martin could sensationally leave Aprilia at the end of the 2025 MotoGP season, it emerged on Monday. The world champion has only made one appearance for the team since his winter arrival.

Martin missed the opening three races of the season after a crash on a supermoto bike in February. He returned in Qatar but then broke 11 ribs and punctured his lung when Fabio di Giannantonio hit him as he fell from the motorcycle.

Motorsport.com broke the story that Martin is seriously considering a departure already. His contract includes an exit clause that can be activated based on his championship position.

The 2024 world champion currently ranks bottom of the 26 riders who have competed in this year’s championship. This is largely down to his injuries, so he may have found something of a loophole.

More importantly, Aprilia have underwhelmed this year. They sit second from bottom in the teams’ standings on 46 points, and prop up the constructors’ table.

Jorge Martin’s secret meetings at the French Grand Prix

Over the French Grand Prix weekend, it emerged that Martin had made a ‘lightning visit’ to the paddock. The theory was that he was trying to ‘boost the morale of the troops’.

He wanted to keep the appearance a secret from the media. Had they known, he would have faced a stream of questions over his injuries and return date.

This was a somewhat strange move, though, given that he’d flown to the Americas GP in March without such stealth. The injured rider came to Austin to show his support from the garage.

Now, though, his activity has taken on a new meaning. As reported by Marca, Martin was actually holding a number of meetings with ‘various members of the paddock’, most importantly with Aprilia.

Honda will refuse to do one thing in pursuit of Aprilia star Jorge Martin

Martin’s play hasn’t gone down well with MotoGP fans, but it could be argued that champions have to operate with this level of ruthlessness. He knows he has an opportunity to join Honda, with factory rider Luca Marini out of contract.

The Japanese manufacturer, who returned to winning ways at Le Mans through LCR’s Johann Zarco, are becoming an increasingly desirable option for riders. Pedro Acosta has also been linked with Honda and shares the same manager as Martin (Albert Valera).

While they do hold an interest, Honda won’t move for Martin until he severs ties with Aprilia. That’s the way team boss Alberto Puig prefers to operate.

Puig has previously said Honda won’t sign a superstar rider until they’re contenders again. They haven’t quite regained that status yet, but they’re closing in.