Jorge Martín is the 2024 MotoGP world champion and one of the best riders in the sport. He left Ducati to join the Aprilia factory team for the 2025 season, but things have been very tough for him. In early testing before the season started he crashed and hurt his hand. Later he crashed again at the Qatar Grand Prix, breaking ribs and suffering a collapsed lung. These injuries kept him out of many races and made it hard for him to work with the Aprilia bike.

Because he missed so much time, Martín could not test or ride the new Aprilia RS-GP properly, and he could not fairly judge how competitive the machine was. This caused tension between him and Aprilia about his contract. He had signed a two-year deal with the team, but he wanted to use a clause in the contract that he believed should let him leave after the end of 2025, because he had not been able to try the bike enough. Aprilia said the contract was still valid for 2026 and that nothing had changed.

There was a long public disagreement about this. At one point his manager said Martín was free to join another team for 2026 and that big teams like Honda were interested in him. Aprilia insisted he must stay under the original contract. The company that runs MotoGP, Dorna, said the issue had to be resolved before Martín could enter the championship for 2026.

Eventually the dispute was settled and Martín confirmed he will stay with Aprilia for the 2026 MotoGP season. He said he did not regret trying to use the clause and now wants to focus on rebuilding his relationship with the team and getting back to racing.

As he continues his recovery from two winter surgeries on his left hand and right collarbone, Aprilia announced that Martín will miss the first official 2026 pre-season test in Sepang, Malaysia. He will still travel to Malaysia to be with his team and follow their work, but another rider called Lorenzo Savadori will do the testing instead. This choice is to help Martín recover fully before the season starts.

Looking further ahead, many MotoGP news sources now say Martín is close to agreeing a new contract with Yamaha for the 2027 season and beyond. This would mean he leaves Aprilia when his current contract ends at the end of 2026 and becomes a factory rider for Yamaha. This move is linked to other rider changes in MotoGP for the future, but it has not been officially confirmed yet.