Marco Bezzecchi
Aprilia’s handling of Jorge Martin’s move to Yamaha may be a reflection of the state of their relationship.
The announcement has been expected since the winter, when he was reportedly chosen as Fabio Quartararo’s replacement.
Finally, earlier this week, Yamaha confirmed the signing of Martin alongside fellow Aprilia RS-GP rider Ai Ogura.
Will Jorge Martin regret leaving Aprilia to join Yamaha?
Aprilia’s telling silence on Jorge Martin joining Yamaha
As noted by Todocircuito, there has been no acknowledgement of Martin’s transfer on Aprilia’s official channels. Even when they unveiled Francesco Bagnaia last week, his name wasn’t even mentioned in the statement; instead, they simply confirmed he would race alongside Marco Bezzecchi.
One can only speculate as to Aprilia’s motives, but the contrast with rival teams is damning.
Ducati announced Bagnaia’s exit shortly before Aprilia’s statement and offered their thanks. Yamaha did the same with Quartararo and Alex Rins.
Martin’s future teammate, Ogura, left with the best wishes of Trackhouse and, on Thursday morning, Honda bid a warm farewell to the Gresini-bound Joan Mir.
It should be noted that KTM haven’t marked Pedro Acosta’s confirmed switch to Ducati either, but the context behind Aprilia’s apparent snub is different.
How would Jorge Martin’s MotoGP career have gone if he had joined Ducati?
There was immense excitement at Noale after signing the reigning world champion, but after two almost immediate injuries, Martin tried to break his contract and join Honda.
Aprilia stood firm and eventually Martin agreed to stay, but it would be naive to assume the relationship was repaired.
Now back to fitness, Martin leads the world championship standings after 10 rounds with one win and five podiums, but the tension remains.
Martin pushed Aprilia team manager Paolo Bonora in the garage after a race-ending collision with Trackhouse’s Raul Fernandez at the Catalan GP.
But when his error took out Fernandez and Bezzecchi at the start in Hungary, Massimo Rivola criticised Martin, saying it wasn’t a mistake a world champion should make.
Aprilia insist Martin will receive equal treatment to Bezzecchi in this year’s title fight, but the team’s recent silence will only deepen the palpably awkward atmosphere.
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