MotoGP Champion Jorge Martin has announced on his social media that he wants to leave Aprilia at the end of the 2025 season. He spoke about it publicly for the first time and explained why he made this decision.

Martin signed with Aprilia for two years starting in 2025. But there is a special rule in his contract: if he is not fighting for the championship after six races (ending with the French Grand Prix), he can choose to leave.

This year has been very difficult for him. He got injured early in pre-season testing and has only raced once, in Qatar, where he got injured again. Aprilia says his injuries mean the special rule in the contract should not count, but Martin disagrees.

In a message on social media, Martin said: "I haven’t broken the contract. When I signed with Aprilia, we agreed that if some conditions weren’t met, I could decide what to do in 2026. This was important to me, and I only accepted the offer because of this rule."

Martin said he wanted to try the Aprilia bike in real racing conditions before fully committing. Since he’s been injured, that hasn’t been possible. He also said he is open to giving Aprilia more time to prove themselves once he returns to racing.

He added: "I respect Aprilia. I like the bike and the team. But I just want my future to be clear after everything I’ve been through."

Martin won the 2024 MotoGP championship title with Ducati’s Pramac team. He had hoped for a seat on Ducati’s factory team, but Ducati chose Marc Marquez instead. So Martin left Pramac and signed with Aprilia.

Now, it looks like he is searching for a new team for 2026. Honda seems to be his top choice, where his friend Aleix Espargaro is already working as a test rider. But other riders are also in talks for that seat.

Other possible teams for Martin could be Pramac Racing (now with Yamaha) or VR46 (a Ducati satellite team).

Even though satellite teams have good support, leaving Aprilia’s factory team would be a big change in terms of money and bike quality.

So far, Aprilia has not responded to Martin’s statement. But it’s clear that the rider market is heating up as Martin looks for a new home for 2026.