Two-pole rider clearly has his eyes on Jorge Martin’s Aprilia seat after ‘crazy’ criticism of his own team

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Jorge Martin announced his intentions to depart Aprilia at the end of the 2025 MotoGP season in a bombshell announcement just a few weeks ago.

However, his team aren’t allowed to search for a replacement until their ties are officially severed. Until Martin makes a decision on whether he wants to stay for 2026, they are stuck in limbo.

The MotoGP rider market won’t wait for them, with riders who have expiring contracts eager to sort their futures as soon as possible.

It means that the talent pool is only going to decrease for Aprilia the longer the saga continues. If they’re hung out to dry, finding a replacement for the reigning champion could be difficult.

Alex Marquez doesn’t buy Martin’s Aprilia exit and believes that he will end up staying with the Italian manufacturer for at least another year.

However, if he does go, it may be their fault. Aprilia made a ‘mess’ with Martin’s contract, according to Carlo Pernat, who has plenty of experience as an agent. It could be their undoing.

READ MORE: Aprilia have now come up with a new plan to mend the ‘rift’ with Jorge Martin and convince him to stay

Enea Bastianini has his eyes on Jorge Martin’s Aprilia seat after ‘crazy’ KTM Tech3 criticism

Enea Bastianini’s start to life as a KTM rider has been nothing short of a failure. He hasn’t finished higher than seventh in eight races and cannot seem to gel with their bike.

His issues are worst in qualifying and the Grand Prix of Aragon was yet another event of poor performance. In Monday’s in-season test, things didn’t improve much either.

“In the afternoon, on the other hand, I focused on the setup, but I wasn’t satisfied because nothing worked,” he told GPOne. “For example, on the medium with 20 laps on it, I was faster than with the new rear soft mounted at the end. It was crazy.

“For me, his results [Vinales] are a confidence boost and question mark because it means I’m missing something. Overall, I expected a lot more. The factory is working hard, though, but what they bring doesn’t fit my needs.”

The Italian rider is being quite harsh about his employer. Bastianini could be Aprilia’s Martin replacement and comes with valuable factory Ducati experience.

However, he is under contract until the end of 2026 as well. There may need to be a fee paid to acquire his services and bring him home (to Italy).

READ MORE: Tech3 boss reveals the blunt warning Enea Bastianini received in ‘secret’ meeting, ‘you have to understand…’

How did Enea Bastianini compare to Jorge Martin during the 2024 MotoGP season?

Taking a look at 2024, both Bastianini and Martin finished inside the top four of the MotoGP riders’ championship.

This year, neither of them are in the top 12. OK, Martin hasn’t raced because of injury, but Bastianini is on a bike that Pedro Acosta managed the most non-Ducati podiums with.

In reality, it shouldn’t be that bad. In the hands of teammate Maverick Vinales, it certainly hasn’t been either, as he nearly won in Qatar and has been in the top 10 at virtually every round since.

It appears that Bastianini is just not a strong match for KTM’s machinery. That’s ok though, because Jack Miller wasn’t either and has been solid at Pramac. It could just be down to the individual characteristics of rider and bike.