Marco Bezzecchi
Aprilia bounced back in their first race since the revelation that Jorge Martin may be leaving them at the end of 2025 by winning with ease.
The British Grand Prix was a crazy race, with accidents, mistakes and battling all over the track across the 19 laps of action.
Well, technically, it was more than 19 laps after an early red flag in the first race caused a restart. Allowing the Marquez brothers back into contention wasn’t enough to prevent Marco Bezzecchi from winning his first race for two years from 10th on the grid, though.
It was a clear statement from Aprilia less than two weeks on from reports suggesting that Jorge Martin could opt to leave them before even completing a race.
The details of the situation aren’t completely clear, but Aprilia are in trouble with Martin’s exit clause because it doesn’t appear that anything is tied to his current injury predicament.
Martin’s potential Aprilia exit created a mess, and the development of their bike would have been better with him. It may now all be down to Bezzecchi to lead the team.
READ MORE: Jorge Martin left surprised by Aprilia ‘speech’ behind the scenes after triggering exit clause
Massimo Rivola reveals the clear ‘message’ Aprilia sent Jorge Martin after British Grand Prix win
Aprilia have a ‘legal’ problem with Martin’s replacement and are not permitted to search for someone to take over his role for 2026 if he leaves, until their ties are fully cut.
It means that they might not end up with the best pick of riders as silly season progresses. Their rivals could snap them up.
Team boss Massimo Rivola shared his joy after the race in Silverstone, but also sent a message to the reigning champion.
“We have always been competitive enough, but never enough to bring home a good result. This victory is very important, I’m really happy. It also represents a message for Martin: we have a bike with which he can win too,” he told Sky Sport Italia.
“On our part, there is total openness. We want to see him on the track as soon as possible, even if his health is the priority. I think that, once he returns, he will start to like the bike. Also because, in fact, he hasn’t started riding it yet…”
READ MORE: How Aprilia have responded to claims that Jorge Martin wants to leave for ‘economic reasons’
When could Jorge Martin return to action for Aprilia?
There are five more races before the summer break begins in late July, offering Martin a good window of opportunity to return to action.
A few dates have been thrown around, with the German Grand Prix between July 11-13 being the most prominent.
However, he could opt to get as much rest as possible and return after that. The only problem is that he wouldn’t be leaving himself much time to assess Aprilia’s situation and find another ride.
Ideally, he comes back before then, farms some data and uses the four-week summer break to start making a decision.
Martin might join Honda, but factory seats don’t stay lying around forever. He will have to get a move on at some point.
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