Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1537729
Martin's Not Going Anywhere J orge Martin confirmed his latest bombshell at Brno: the reigning MotoGP World Champi- on will remain at Aprilia in 2026, despite stating the contrary less than two months ago. For a rider that hasn't even completed a race this season, he sure knows how to hog the headlines. Brno is the scene of Martin's second comeback from injury in a troubled title defense. It was also where he spoke publicly for the first time since it became known he was keen to exercise a clause within his current con - tract that would allow him to leave Aprilia a year early in 2026. The 27-year-old was grilled by the media as he opened up on his reasons behind wanting to leave the Italian factory. There was, he said, the impression Aprilia's progress was stalling. Preseason tests in Barcelona and especially Malaysia, where he fractured his right hand and left foot, were far from ideal. Then came the injuries he sus- tained in Qatar (a punctured lung and 12 rib fractures), where his first comeback was dramatically cut short. And genuine fears for his life and career in the hours, days and weeks that followed. "You are never prepared for being close to dying. In life, you always have different situations, but sometimes there are situa - tions that you don't expect, and then they arrive, and it's tough to accept sometimes. And Qatar was one of them. I was in a bad situation," he said before paus- ing to regain his composure. "I started to have a lot of doubts. Not only about my future, but also about myself, about a lot of different things. "So, at that moment I had to make a decision on my future, and that decision was either to try the Aprilia in a few more races or activate this clause that we all know about," he said, re- ferring to the part of his contract that stated he could exercise the right to leave six races into the year. "Both of them Aprilia denied, which I respect, I un- derstand. They fought for their rights, let's say. "And from that point, I had to fight for what I thought was the best for me, which was trying to move on to another project. But then we start this fight. I could continue further in this fight, but I think in life we have to take some decisions, and now the decision is to stay here in Aprilia for one more season." Somewhat surprisingly, Martin was adamant he had done noth - ing wrong. In jockeying to leave a factory for whom he had not even completed a full race week- end, he tarred his reputation. It also led to him sitting in front of a packed press conference explaining his actions. "I don't regret anything," he said when asked if he'd do anything differently than he had in May. "I think everything I did during these few months was what I thought was the best for my future and for me. "I think nobody can under- stand when you are in the hospi- tal with 12 broken ribs and you cannot sleep for a week; nobody can understand what is running through my mind. So, everything I did was because I thought it was the better thing for my future. And that's the same that I do now, to decide to stay here." Nor has he felt the need to apologize to Aprilia. "No, I didn't apologize to them, because I feel I don't need to apologize for VOLUME 62 ISSUE 29 JULY 22, 2025 P37 Jorge Martin has finally confirmed he will honor the agreement in his Aprilia contract and race for the team for the remainder of the year and for the 2026 season.