Marco Bezzecchi
Jorge Martin is now believed to be staying at Aprilia for the 2026 MotoGP season. Both he and his camp had previously stated in public that they were free from the contract.
But it emerged on the first day of the German Grand Prix weekend that Martin is ‘certain’ to honour his Aprilia deal. He seems to have lost his appetite to fight a legal battle with the team.
Aprilia were ready to go to court, claiming that Martin’s performance clause, which required him to be among the top riders after the early rounds, was invalidated by his injuries. Next weekend’s Czech Grand Prix is poised to be just his second appearance for the team.
Dorna’s Carmelo Ezpeleta has threatened Martin with a ban from the 2026 championship – in the colours of another team – if the dispute isn’t resolved. The alternative to a legal victory was to reach a compensation agreement, but Aprilia’s demands were ‘exorbitant’.
Lorenzo Savadori says Jorge Martin stopped ‘suffering’ after Aprilia test
Lorenzo Savadori has deputised for Martin either side of his disastrous comeback at the Qatar GP. The test rider, who’s never completed a full MotoGP season, has far exceeded his expected remit.
Savadori has only scored eight points in his outings so far, so he may be partly relieved to hand the bike back to Martin after the race at the Sachsenring.
Speaking to outlets including GPOne on Thursday, the 32-year-old revealed that he’d been in contact with Martin after his post-injury test at Misano. He’d ‘missed’ riding and was in good spirits.
The reigning world champion had been ‘suffering’ during his injury absence, and the test certainly looks like an ‘important moment’ in determining his future.
“I heard from him yesterday,” Savadori said. “He said he missed the bike and I understand that he hasn’t ridden for a long time and we riders, when we can’t go on the track, we suffer.
“I would say it was a positive test. He felt good about it. In general, it was an important moment as it had been a long time since he had ridden.”
Why Jorge Martin still has some hope of racing for Honda in 2026
A report from Marca suggests the matter isn’t entirely resolved yet. Martin still has a ‘slight hope’ of reaching an agreement that would allow him to race for Honda.
He’s seemingly dreaming of a move to the most successful team on the grid. Indeed, it’s emerged that the release clause in his deal was specifically tied to Alberto Puig’s squad.
However, Martin is now ‘coming to terms’ with the reality that his chances are diminishing by the day. He will be able to make a clean break next year if that’s still his desire.
Based on Marco Bezzecchi’s results this season, Martin will thrive in the next 18 months or so. Bezzecchi is currently the lead non-Ducati in the standings after a second podium of the year at Assen.
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