Jorge Martin will not leave Aprilia and will continue with them in 2026 MotoGP season, as he expands on the reasons behind his decisions.
Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing) has confirmed he’s staying with Aprilia Racing in 2026. After previously making a statement on social media that he was invoking a clause to leave at the end of the season – and Aprilia making their own statement that he was contracted to them for 2026 – the rumours now have a concrete answer: he’s staying.
The #1 is back in action this weekend at Brno and confirmed the news in a press conference on Thursday. Stay tuned for more as Martin talks to the media about his difficult year so far and the future now that he’s ready to get back on track and passed fit to race.
Speaking in his first answer, he said: “I’m really happy to be here again. It was a really difficult 6 or 7 months suffering a lot with a lot of injuries but finally, I’m happy to be here and to be back in MotoGP. Finally, I’m happy to say that I’ll continue with Aprilia for 2026.”
Elaborating further, he added: “I don’t regret anything. Everything that I did in these few months was what I thought was better for my future and me. Nobody can understand when you are in the hospital with 12 broken ribs, that you can not sleep for one week. Nobody can understand what was running through my mind. So everything I did was because I thought it was a better thing for my future and that’s the thing I do know to stay here.
“For sure, when you arrive in the paddock after all the situation being out of the paddock, you can feel a bit of the tension. At the end of the day, the most important thing between the rider and the team is the communication, to speak. If anything is wrong, they have the freedom to speak with me and if I feel anything is wrong, I have the freedom to speak with them. And no, I did not apologise to them because I feel I don’t need to apologise for anything.
“I did what was the best for my career and now we are together so we speak together. If they feel I have to do something to improve the relationship, I will do it and for me it is very important to have a family in the paddock. I will work hard to make this family so we are ready for what’s coming. Honda was an option, but it was not the only option I have to say. In relationships, it’s like a rollercoaster.
“You can fall in love, then you have some fights, but finally if you like the other person at the end of the day, you will work hard to stay together and fight for your targets. This is the point we are now. I can not say anything happened. For sure, we had a big fight with Aprilia, but now is the time to start to build together because we both want to be together at the moment and we want to win in the future, so this is the important thing. It’s possible to get back in love, let’s say.”
[The story is as per press release]