Jorge Martin’s manager reveals whether Aprilia think they can beat Marc Marquez in 2026

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The saga between Jorge Martin and Aprilia seems to have come to an end, with the Spaniard now happy to honour his contract with the team through the 2026 MotoGP season.

It was reported in May that Honda had offered Jorge Martin a way out of Aprilia, seemingly leaving Luca Marini’s future in MotoGP in jeopardy.

However, Honda withdrew their offer of a three-year deal to Martin following Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta supporting Aprilia’s stance of insisting that Martin should honour his contract with the team.

Martin officially confirmed his intention to stay at Aprilia in the lead-up to the Czech Republic Grand Prix. The race in Brno will be his first since suffering a fractured rib and a pneumothorax at the Qatar Grand Prix in April.

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

Aprilia are ‘positive’ that Jorge Martin can fight ‘everyone’ for the 2026 MotoGP title

Speaking to MotoSprint, Martin’s manager revealed why the 2024 MotoGP champion did a U-turn on his Aprilia exit, saying, “During the Aprilia test at Misano, Jorge saw the light.

“He really liked the RS-GP. The rider, team, and manufacturer believe in us; we can have great races. If Aprilia pushed so hard to get Martin, it means they want to win the 2026 title.

“After testing the bike again, he felt better. We’re positive; we can fight for everyone, having great races in 2025 and achieving great things next year.”

If current form is anything to go by, it is clear that Marc Marquez will be the rider Martin needs to beat for the MotoGP title next season. His move to Ducati Lenovo for the 2025 season seemingly revitalised the 32-year-old, who has won seven Grands Prix as well as all but one Sprint race this season.

READ MORE: Everything to know about Aprilia from the MotoGP team’s riders to hierarchy

Why did Jorge Martin want to leave Aprilia after joining before the start of the 2025 MotoGP season?

Martin’s reasoning for wanting out of his Aprilia contract was down to a number of factors, with the injury suffered in Qatar playing a part in them.

Aprilia’s ‘inconsistent’ way of working may have played a part in the 27-year-old’s desire to leave, with Maverick Vinales’ exit to KTM before 2025 being due to the same reasons.

As well as the issues behind the scenes, the Spaniard’s contract with the team includes a release clause, which means if he weren’t in the running for the championship after six rounds, he could depart from the team. Martin stated that he felt ‘deceived’ by Aprilia for not honouring it.

However, Aprilia also felt short-changed by his decision due to the fact that Martin had only taken part in one round with the team before he expressed his wish to leave.

The Spaniard also missed the first three rounds of the 2025 MotoGP season due to a serious injury to his left wrist sustained in two separate accidents during pre-season testing.

It will be interesting to see how, or if, the team dynamic has changed for Martin and Aprilia as they gear up for the second half of the season ahead of his return to the MotoGP grid.