Marco Bezzecchi
Jorge Martin is being heavily linked with a move to Honda in 2026 as he looks to find a way out of his Aprilia contract this year.
Martin activated an exit clause in his contract that allows him to leave a year early if he is not in a competitive position after six races in 2025. While he has only taken part in one race this season due to injury, the defending MotoGP champion is dissatisfied at Aprilia.
The Noale manufacturer are trying everything in their power to ensure the Spaniard honours his contract, as they see his exit clause as invalid due to his injuries. Aprilia want to leave Martin with ‘no choice’ but to stay, as they try to delay his exit as long as possible.
Honda are waiting in the wings to pounce and snap up the 27-year-old’s signature. Martin has been offered a three-year deal by the Japanese outfit, but nothing can be signed until he breaks his Aprilia contract.
Romano Albesiano says Martin joining Honda would be ‘very good’ as they look to attract the 2024 champion to their project. However, the Spaniard might be having second thoughts after the manufacturer’s struggles at the Italian Grand Prix.
Honda suffer ‘horrible’ problem at the Italian Grand Prix with edge grip and turning on the throttle
Honda have enjoyed huge improvements in 2025 as they sit second in the standings behind Ducati. Johann Zarco’s victory at Le Mans was the Japanese giant’s first in the premier class since 2023.
But Honda had a disastrous weekend at Mugello, as Zarco crashed out in the Sprint and the main race. LCR teammate Somkiat Chantra remained glued to the back of the grid, while the factory team fared no better.
Test rider Takaaki Nakagami replaced Luca Marini as he remains sidelined with injury, but he could only manage 16th. Joan Mir scored Honda’s only points with 11th as the RC213V struggled with no edge grip and turning on the throttle in the long, fast corners.
Journalist Mat Oxley said it was a ‘horrible’ weekend for Honda in Mugello. Speaking via The Oxley Bom Podcast, he does not expect them to fix their mess at Assen this weekend.
“Honda, horrible weekend after some very good weekends. Basically, the bike has no edge grip and it doesn’t turn when you’re on the throttle and Mugello, it’s all about edge grip and turning on the throttle.
“You’re going into the long, fast corners, you need lots of edge grip and you’re on the throttle for a long time coming out of a lot of the corners, aren’t you? It’s not a stop-and-go track.
“Honda’s very good at charging into the corners, stopping, coming out again. This track is the complete opposite and it’ll be the same at Assen.
“I would imagine they’ll be a mess at Assen because again, that’s sort of long corners and fast corners. This is a traditional track, Mugello, and Assen is a traditional track, but the Honda is built for kind of modern MotoGP tracks, if you like.”
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Jorge Martin must be having second thoughts about joining Honda as they encounter major issue
Martin joined Aprilia after he was snubbed for the Ducati seat by Marc Marquez. He joined the Noale outfit with the vision to win the title in 2026, viewing it as a long-term project.
Massimo Rivola remarkably claimed Martin could’ve been champion this year had he been fit throughout the winter and the start of the season. Marco Bezzecchi’s win at Silverstone proved the RS-GP25 is a competitive bike, but the Spaniard is not convinced.
With the 27-year-old making it clear he wants to leave Aprilia, he will want to move to a competitive outfit. While Honda have huge financial backing, their issues at Mugello, and likely in Assen, may give Martin second thoughts.
The RC213V will not have the capacity to win the championship unless Honda can make drastic improvements to the machine this season or into 2026. While it is a competitive package, they will need to fix their problems if they are to convince Martin to join them next season.
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