Jorge Martín is considering leaving Aprilia at the end of the year.

Jorge Martín and Aprilia are experiencing the worst moment of their brief but intense MotoGP romance. The reigning world champion, who somewhat spitefully decided to sign with the Noale factory after Ducati's snub less than a year ago, believes he's seen enough to determine that the bike promised by those responsible for his new project isn't exactly the one currently rolling on circuits around the world. Therefore, he's considering leaving the Italians at the end of the year and scrapping the two-year contract they had, knowing there are other parties interested in signing him. Thanks to a somewhat vague performance clause included in his contract, he is free to do so without incurring any financial penalties.

Martín's approach, reported by Motorsport.com and confirmed by EL PAÍS, is surprising considering he hasn't even been able to complete a Grand Prix so far in 2025. The 28-year-old Madrid native's disastrous start to the season has been marked by a painful succession of serious accidents and injuries that required two trips to the operating room in February, followed by a serious fall during the Qatar GP on his official return to competition a month ago. This latest setback kept him in the ICU for several days with 11 fractured ribs and a traumatic pneumothorax, and the driver is only now beginning to move with a degree of normality to face the necessary rehabilitation before his return to racing.

In an unexpected turn of events , the world number one is now ready to negotiate with any team for next season thanks to a results-based clause that was included without considering the possibility of a serious injury. The very hasty nature of the contract signing between the parties, with most of the details of the relationship being finalized during the four days of activity at the 2024 Italian GP, ​​may have led to this legal loophole, which Martín is now clinging to to justify his position of power over Aprilia. Needless to say, the Piaggio group factory has reacted angrily and is considering whether to take legal action against the rider who remains its rider until the end of the season.

Aware of the very specific situation due to a succession of serious injuries, Martín is willing to extend the trial period of his current contract for another six Grands Prix, which would begin when the Spanish rider makes his effective return to the grid. Aprilia has yet to respond to this proposal. The most optimistic prognosis is that he could be ready to return within a month and a half, coinciding with the Dutch GP on June 29, although this is not a fixed target and several medical validations are pending.

Aprilia prefers not to comment on the contractual entanglement for now, following the meeting the two parties had last Friday at the Le Mans circuit. Martín deliberately traveled to the French GP paddock from his residence to communicate his position to the Italian factory, which saw him as the definitive candidate to challenge Ducati once and for all. On this occasion, the Madrid native preferred to keep a low profile, even more so given the situation has created a difficult-to-navigate rift between him and his new team. As soon as the day of meetings ended, he headed back home.

Martín and his agent had already used a similar clause to part ways with KTM during the pandemic. With the 2020 season suspended and postponed due to COVID-19, and with no Grand Prix races yet contested, they activated the emergency exit clause due to not being among the top 10 in the standings. They were thus able to accept Ducati's offer to move up to the premier class in 2021 without additional penalties.

When Martín opted for the Aprilia project last year , he was partly driven by his personal and professional connection with Aleix Espargaró, the man who developed the Noale-based machine into a winning one before retiring from racing to take up a test rider role with Honda. The pair share a representation agency and residency in Andorra, where they often train together on bikes on the principality's mountain passes. The RS-GP was the only bike capable of defeating the Desmosedici in 2024, but this year it sits last in the manufacturers' standings. Its best rider in the standings is Japanese rookie and reigning Moto2 champion Ai Ogura, who is in tenth place, 128 points behind Marc Márquez's Ducati.

By the end of 2025, only one factory team will have a seat available: Honda. The Japanese brand's satellite team, with which Johann Zarco triumphed at Le Mans, also has two vacancies for next season. The only other spots on the grid would be at VR46 Ducati and Yamaha. The four riders from the tuning fork brand have direct contracts with the parent company, despite the fact that the only potential spot is with the satellite team, the same Pramac with which Martín won the championship last year, when the squad was still a Ducati customer.