Twelve months after attempting to activate a release clause in his agreement, Martin secures his first race win for the Italian manufacturer
The significance of Jorge Martin’s maiden MotoGP victory as an Aprilia rider at the French Grand Prix could hardly be more poignant.
Exactly one year ago at Le Mans, Martin and his manager Albert Valera surprised Aprilia’s management by announcing their intention to terminate the contract at the end of 2025, likely moving to Honda. The Noale-based factory had gone to great lengths to sign the Spaniard during the summer of 2024, while he was still battling for the world title on a Pramac Ducati. His eventual championship triumph over factory Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia only increased his value and raised expectations for his move to Aprilia.
However, the partnership started disastrously when he suffered two injuries during pre-season – first at the Sepang test, then while preparing for the opening round. If that, plus a third injury at the Qatar Grand Prix, were not enough, Martin attempted to escape his two-year Aprilia deal in early 2025 while still working to regain full fitness.
Aprilia had invested heavily in Martin to lead the project, and his attempted departure did not sit well with the team or the wider paddock. The reigning champion wanted to use a performance-related clause to leave after one season, but the move drew criticism as he had not yet finished a race by that point. Moreover, his teammate Marco Bezzecchi – who had also joined the factory squad from Ducati’s satellite setup – had already demonstrated that the 2025-spec RS-GP was a competitive machine.
The dispute dragged on for several months before Martin and Aprilia eventually agreed to honor the remaining contract. Tensions lingered in the garage later in the season as Martin began regaining form but could not fully extract the bike’s potential. This coincided with a sudden upturn in Aprilia’s performance, with Bezzecchi winning multiple races toward the end of the year. A fourth major crash at Motegi did not help Martin’s situation.
Going into 2026, it was already evident that Bezzecchi would become Ducati’s new number one rider, especially after Martin signed a contract with Yamaha for the start of the 850cc era in 2027. Yet the 28-year-old appeared revitalized from the moment he stepped onto the bike during the Thailand test, even though he missed crucial running at Sepang to recover from two additional off-season surgeries.
His impressive sprint win at Austin in March hinted at what was to come, but the French Grand Prix weekend produced his most convincing performance yet. Not only did he secure another Saturday victory, but he also outperformed Bezzecchi in the main race to achieve a landmark result for both himself and Aprilia.
Even Rivola could not contain his emotions as he recalled the 2025 contract saga – unprompted – when asked about Aprilia’s historic podium sweep at Le Mans. “I’m still thinking about last year at Le Mans here, when Jorge wanted to leave and I said, ‘no, I think you can win with us’. So winning at Le Mans [this year] is quite special to me,” he said during the official broadcast.
The result leaves Martin just one point behind championship leader Bezzecchi heading into next weekend’s Catalan Grand Prix. While Martin may no longer represent Aprilia’s long-term future in MotoGP, he could still deliver the manufacturer its first premier-class title.
