Honda could now rival Aprilia for history-making rider if Jorge Martin loses his contract saga

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Honda are waiting to learn if Jorge Martin can leave Aprilia for the 2026 season, with their Italian rivals adamant that the exit clause in the Spaniard’s contract is not valid.

The 27-year-old’s future continues to dominate the MotoGP rider market with the two sides showing very contrasting stances. Aprilia insist that Martin is their rider and will honour the two-year contract he signed to join the Noale team, whereas his camp believes he can leave.

Martin’s manager, Albert Valera, is convinced that his exit clause is valid and that the Madrid native is free to decide his future. They included a clause in his contract for Aprilia which lets Martin move teams in 2026 if he was not a title contender after the 2025 French Grand Prix.

Thanks to missing nine of the first 10 rounds of the 2025 MotoGP season through injury, the 2024 riders’ champion is still yet to score a single point this term. Yet as he had to miss five of the six rounds tied to his exit clause, Aprilia do not believe Martin’s release clause is valid.

Honda could sign Moto2 rider Diogo Moreira if Jorge Martin is forced to stay at Aprilia

Honda are waiting in the wings to learn the outcome of the continuing saga in Noale, where Martin and Aprilia are now discussing compensation to end his contract early. While Aprilia remain adamant he must stay next year, there is an acceptance to resolve their saga quickly.

But while Martin has agreed on a three-year contract to join Honda, the Japanese brand will not wait around forever to decide their 2026 line-up. And according to Motorsport.com, the form Diogo Moreira is showing in Moto2 has now caught the eyes of Honda and also Aprilia.

READ MORE: Everything to know about Jorge Martin from net worth to girlfriend

Moreira now has a flurry of MotoGP teams considering his services after becoming the first Brazilian rider to win a Moto2 race at the 2025 Dutch Grand Prix. Aprilia would like to place the Sao Paulo native at their satellite team Trackhouse in 2026, yet may have to rival Honda.

The 21-year-old’s victory at the TT Circuit Assen has tempted Honda to explore Moreira as a potential alternative in case Martin is forced to stay at Aprilia in 2026. Yamaha are also now studying his suitability to move up to MotoGP in 2026 at Pramac next to Toprak Razgatlioglu.

Yamaha are the favourites to sign Moreira if he moves to MotoGP in 2026, as the Japanese brand already have a collaboration in place via their Brazilian division. But Aprilia are long-term fans of Moreira, who declined an offer to test their RS-GP with Trackhouse at Aragon.

Diogo Moreira made history as the first Brazilian rider to win a Moto2 race at the 2025 Dutch Grand Prix

Aprilia wanted Moreira to sample the RS-GP25 on the Monday after the 2025 Aragon Grand Prix. But the Brazilian passed up on his opportunity, which arose due to Ai Ogura recovering from his fractured right tibia, so Trackhouse gave Manuel Gonzalez a MotoGP test at Aragon.

READ MORE: Everything to know about Honda from the MotoGP team’s riders to leadership

Had Moreira agreed to ride in Ogura’s place at MotorLand Aragon, then Aprilia might have been in a stronger position to win the race now emerging to sign the Italtrans Moto2 rider after his history-making victory. Instead, Aprilia face competition from Honda and Yamaha.

Honda could even offer Moreira an immediate place in a factory MotoGP team if they fail to sign Martin for 2026. Luca Marini is out of contract at the end of this year, which opened the door for Honda to explore possible deals before Martin confirmed his desire to leave Aprilia.