Aprilia are ‘sure’ about what a judge would say if Jorge Martin contract battle went to court

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Jorge Martin’s second MotoGP return of the season is nearing after months of recovery from another disastrous injury.

The Spaniard has only competed at one race this year, battling through his Aprilia debut at the Grand Prix of Qatar before a late crash did more damage to him.

A pneumothorax and 11 broken ribs later, Martin was left stranded in the Middle East, waiting for his body to recover enough to be able to fly home safely for weeks.

Not long after he returned to Spain, he dropped the biggest bombshell of the season, shaking up the MotoGP rider market and turning some heads in the paddock.

With a few spaces on the grid left for 2026, Honda have already spoken to Martin and declared their interest in his services. Their factory rider, Luca Marini, has a contract which expires at the end of the year.

However, Aprilia insiders are confident about keeping Martin and still believe that there is a strong chance he remains with the Italian manufacturer.

READ MORE: Aprilia now want to leave Jorge Martin with ‘no choice’ but to accept one thing amid his bid to join Honda

Aprilia are ‘sure’ Jorge Martin clause would be ‘worthless’ in front of a judge

Just a few weeks ago, Martin did something unusual at an Aprilia event and wore unbranded clothing. It may have been a sign of the current disconnect between himself and his team.

The reigning champion has always targeted a return before the summer break, and there are two races in July with the German and Czech Grands Prix for him to choose from.

Avoiding a repeat injury is essential, so if he needs to wait a few more weeks before feeling comfortable, then the safe option makes sense.

However, his current team are sure that he should be with them next year too, and believe that a six-race clause within his contract, which allowed him to leave if he wasn’t satisfied with their bike, would be rejected in front of a judge.

“In the sense that from what I understand, they are very sure that if they went before a judge, this clause would be worthless,” said journalist Rene Pierotti.

“Because even if it is written in a very clear and simple way, it cannot be demonstrated that Martin considers this bike unrideable, because he has ridden it for too little. This is more or less the position I understand to be that of Aprilia.”

READ MORE: Aprilia MotoGP target just made a big decision on his future amid Jorge Martin replacement talk

Why MotoGP needs Jorge Martin to return during the 2025 season

At one stage, there was fear that Martin could give up on the current season altogether and focus on a comeback for 2026.

However, now he seems a little more motivated to get back on his bike and prove to the world what he can do again.

Carlo Pernat thinks Aprilia made a ‘mess’ with Martin’s contract and doesn’t see why there was ever an option in there to leave his two-year deal early.

The only problem with that is he may not have signed in the first place. Being able to leave if the bike wasn’t good enough after one year was the security blanket he felt he needed.