Marco Bezzecchi
Aprilia snapped up Jorge Martin just over a year ago when he lost out on a Ducati factory ride. Luigi Dall’Igna and co. opted to promote Marc Marquez from Gresini instead.
It was a difficult decision. Martin was competing for the world championship, while Marquez was a legendary rider who had emerged from career-threatening injuries.
It was hard to dispute the ultimate outcome, with or without hindsight, but Martin wasn’t prepared to stay. While a satellite Ducati deal could still have been a route to the 2025 title, he was determined to represent a factory team in an environment where he felt valued.
Aprilia were the beneficiaries and acted with remarkable speed. Their enormous excitement over a superstar coup didn’t last long, though, as Martin set off a succession of injuries with a crash on day one of pre-season testing.
He then confirmed in May that he’d taken the sensational decision to activate a release clause in his contract. His absences meant he hadn’t met the agreed-upon performance threshold, and this could see him leave halfway through his deal.
Aprilia’s Jorge Martin announcement video was a ‘mistake’
Speaking on the Por Orejas podcast, Ducati communications chief Artur Vilalta recalled the aftermath of the Marquez/Martin decision. He questioned Aprilia’s handling of their announcement.
They posted a video on their social media channels of Martin shaking hands with Massimo Rivola in their hospitality unit. Predecessor Aleix Espargaro was also involved.
Vilalta says Martin shouldn’t have been asked to make such an appearance while he was still under contract with Ducati. He made his debut at the post-season test in Barcelona.
“We didn’t even look at what the other teams were doing,” said Vilalta. “What I think, and I’ve talked about this with other people, is that Aprilia wanted to announce Martin’s arrival in a very hasty way [by] making a video, which was a mistake.
“In my opinion, it was a mistake, because a rider with a contract with another brand shouldn’t appear on social media or in any statement from another brand. Beyond the error, Ducati’s idea was to announce our move.
“We were clear about what the important news was: Marc Marquez would be part of the Ducati team in the 2025 and 2026 seasons. The news was not that Jorge Martin would go to Aprilia.”
Why Honda insiders are hesitating about Jorge Martin move
Aprilia and Martin no longer ‘trust’ each other, one journalist says. Nobody would have expected the relationship to deteriorate so quickly.
According to Jorge Lorenzo, Martin only wanted to sign a one-year Aprilia deal. That could suggest he had some doubts about the project from the beginning.
Cynics would suggest that he was looking to use Aprilia as a stepping stone to a more desirable, or more lucrative, factory seat. Marco Bezzecchi’s victory at the British GP last month doesn’t seem to have changed his mind about leaving.
There’s talk that sole suitors Honda are having second thoughts about signing Martin because they may not be ready to field another A-list rider. The longer the contractual dispute goes on, the more precarious the situation becomes.
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