The posturing surrounding a potential early Aprilia exit for Jorge Martin has all the makings of a massive misstep that could come back to haunt the reigning MotoGP world champion .
Motorsport.com's story that Martin could be looking to cancel his two-year Aprilia deal at the end of 2025 initially read almost like a late April Fools' joke, but it is clearly not unfounded - and includes details that could only have come from Martin's camp or people close to it.
Martin and manager Albert Valera are supposedly looking to execute a performance clause tied to the French Grand Prix that would give him a way out for '25.
It is no wonder that the results haven't been there, given that Martin has started only one race out of six - a race that for him ended with a two-week stay in a Qatari hospital.
It's been a disastrous start to his year - so much so that it’s actually hard to imagine that Aprilia didn’t take such an eventuality into account when preparing a contract (complete with escape clauses) for Martin.
What makes the situation even more fantastical, though, is what Martin's situation would be should he find a way out of Aprilia. Realistically, the only factory team with a space for him next year is Honda, given that Luca Marini’s deal is out of sync with most of the rest of the paddock.
This does, however, somewhat fly in the face of suggestions Honda has been in play for another under-contract rider: Pedro Acosta, whose management team has repeatedly left the door open for a split with KTM. That management team being, yes, also Albert Valera - meaning the interests of his two riders could potentially be clashing when it comes to seats for 2026 and beyond.
In fact, given the lack of other options available for Martin, it’s really difficult to understand why the possibility of a Martin/Aprilia split has come out at this point in time, for it is not a good look for the reigning champion.
Yes, it’s fair to say that Aprilia hasn’t had the start to the season that it expected - but let’s be honest: a large part of that is because its superstar new signing has been absent through no fault of the team’s.
And while Marco Bezzecchi has been struggling more than expected, satellite rider Ai Ogura has been sensational on the Trackhouse bike - so much so that you’ve got to think that Aprilia has a ready-made replacement for Martin now should he find a way out of his deal.
But what if he doesn't find a way out? Martin and his management have now very clearly signalled to Aprilia that they don’t want to stay, a situation that could make the next 18 months together very fraught indeed, with the worst-case scenario being that he’s stuck at a team he doesn’t want to be at - and a team that knows he doesn't want to be there - and subsequently just fails to perform.
It’s hardly the first time that Martin has let his heart rule his head when it comes to contract matters, either.
It’s been well-detailed how his decision to sign for Aprilia in the first place happened in the course of only hours, following the perceived slight of Ducati preferring to sign Marc Marquez to partner Pecco Bagnaia in its factory operation (a decision that hardly looks a misstep right now as Marquez is dominating the 2025 season).
But this is a more unusual situation still. There’s no obvious gain for Martin, unless he’s got a huge-money offer from another manufacturer sitting on the table - and even then, it’s unlikely to be on a bike that’s obviously got more chance of delivering immediate success for him than Aprilia when he’s fully fit.
There’s plenty to lose out on, though. A miserable year and a half at Aprilia, further damage to his professional reputation and even a return to satellite machinery are in the realm of possible consequences here.
