After a disastrous start to the 2025 season, Jorge Martín has delivered impressive performances aboard his Aprilia, a bike he will leave in just a few months. Returning home for the Jerez GP, the Spaniard is showing big ambitions while battling his teammate Marco Bezzecchi.
Crowned world champion in 2024 after a tough fight against Francesco Bagnaia, Jorge Martín has barely had the chance to showcase the number 1 plate. His post-title season has been a real ordeal, marked by crashes, fractures, a pneumothorax, and internal tensions at Aprilia over the two-year contract signed by the Spaniard.
Meanwhile, Marco Bezzecchi has brilliantly revived his career, securing third place in the riders’ standings and now emerging as one of the championship favorites. After months of complaining about alleged preferential treatment for his teammate (with many caveats), the “Martinator” can now see that his bike is working perfectly. His excellent results at the start of the season put him second in the overall standings, just 4 points behind the Italian, leaving Marc Márquez, currently fifth, 32 points adrift.
“I know what it’s like to go through a tough time, so I’m really very happy,” he said enthusiastically in Austin. “I’m enjoying this moment a lot, here and now, because you never know what could happen next time.” He knows this better than anyone, as he had a big scare celebrating his victory with another crash, which had no major consequences but was completely avoidable.
Although the season has barely started, thoughts are already turning to 2027. And while Aprilia has started better than Ducati, Martín is preparing to leave the Italian team and head to Japan, where Yamaha awaits. The technical evolutions planned in MotoGP could change the landscape, but it’s hard to imagine the M1 being competitive despite its new V-engine. Fabio Quartararo and Alex Rins will seek new horizons, while Ai Ogura, currently with Trackhouse-Aprilia, will return to his home country after riding a Honda in Moto3 and Moto2.
This already-confirmed transfer could lead to differences in treatment compared to Bezzecchi, who has a contract until 2028. That means the Martinator will have to find the same resources that allowed him to win the title with a satellite team.
