Martin leaves Ducati for Aprilia
Jorge Martín has signed a multi-year deal with Aprilia Racing to replace the retiring Aleix Espargaró from the start of the 2025 MotoGP season.
Martín is the current championship leader, and if he wins the title, he will take the #1 plate from Ducati to Aprilia.
That would not be a good look for Ducati, will Martín continue to get as much support from Ducati over the remaining rounds of the season as he has been currently enjoying at Pramac?
Another move in the rider market in recent days was the confirmed signing of Pedro Acosta to move up to the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing squad in 2025.
What can we expect next..?
With Martin now confirmed at Aprilia, Marc Marquez is widely tipped to become Pecco Bagnaia’s team-mate in the Factory Ducati squad in 2025.
Energy drink wars…
However, currently, the Ducati squad is sponsored by Monster Energy, while Marc Marquez is a long-term Red Bull athlete, and that is certainly a conflict that will need to be worked out.
Could Red Bull’s investment in Marquez be concrete enough to instead push their star towards Red Bull KTM, resulting in the Austrian manufacturer pushing Binder sideways to the GASGAS squad?
Rumours suggest that Luigi Dall’Igna is finding Marc Marquez’s feedback and data so interesting and potentially fruitful for machine development that he really wants Marc Marquez on a Ducati. From the outside looking in, that does seem the most likely outcome.
The fact that Marc Marquez rejected the possibility of a seat at Pramac with his words ‘Pramac is not an option‘, over the course of the Mugello race weekend, reinforced his recent statements about wanting to be on a Factory bike in 2025. Marc also said multiple times that he had three options for such a seat. That made it clear that if he were going to stay at Ducati, it would only be via a promotion into the Factory team, and that the offer of a satellite GP25 would see him move to another manufacturer.
This is said to have forced Ducati management to reverse their decision to replace Bastianini with Martin for 2025, in favour of Marquez, instead of losing the eight-time World Champion to another brand. And that then saw Jorge Martin rapidly tie up a deal with Aprilia on Monday at Mugello.
Massimo Rivola – Aprilia Racing
“A path of unstoppable growth, Jorge is a building block to reach the goal we are all looking for with great hunger at Aprilia Racing. Thanks to Dr. Michele Colaninno (President of the Piaggio Group which Aprilia is a part of) for this opportunity, we spoke last night and without wasting any time we made the decision.”
Dominoes will start falling now…
More than half of the current MotoGP grid is yet to play their last hand in this game of musical chairs. The dominoes will start falling rapidly now. Who will be left without a chair when the music stops…?
Enea Bastianini has been linked with a potential move to the GASGAS squad in 2025. With talk also suggesting that the Tech3 run team will swap the GASGAS branding for KTM livery.
As you can see further down this page, in conversation with Massimo Rivola, Aprilia has confirmed that Bastianini and Bezzecchi have also been in talks with them. And where would that leave Maverick Vinales?
And which team will move to Yamaha?
There is also another game being played out in regards to which team will switch to Yamaha machinery in 2025, as the Japanese brand has repeatedly stated that there will be four Yamaha machines on the grid in 2025.
With Pramac losing Martin, and no chance of having Marquez, could this be the tipping point that forces the successful Ducati satellite squad to field Yamaha machinery in 2025?
Valentino Rossi is a current Yamaha brand ambassador yet his VR46 MotoGP Team is aligned with Ducati. Could that change for 2025?
There are certainly a lot more questions than answers, but one would imagine most dotted lines will end up signed before MotoGP reconvenes at Assen late this month.
Aprilia’s Massimo Rivola on the signing of Jorge Martin
How happy are you to sign Jorge?
“I am obviously super happy, I cannot talk about the details but I can tell you that it was a very fast deal from last night to today. We signed at 1730 and announced at 1800 so it was a fast decision and move for us but I am super happy to have him onboard.”
How much of an influence did Aleix have in the signing?
“You know that Aleix and Jorge are like brothers and since Aleix decided to retire which we initially agreed would be decided at Mugello but with it being his home race in Barcelona he would announce to announce it before which was super nice and emotional. After that, I started to look at the rider market in the paddock and many managers naturally knocked on my door but I think we got the best solution.”
What are Maverick’s feelings for next year?
“As I said Maverick is a big part of the puzzle and he is a big priority to me, but unfortunately everything was so tight and done in a rush that I wrongly didn’t find the time to speak to him, as I said we had from 1700 to 1800 to organise everything before the media which was not enough. Let’s see if he is happy to stay with us and then we will find a good condition to keep him happy. If he is not, then we will see what the market offers, and maybe we will find another good rider, but we are obviously thinking about Maverick and Jorge, which would be amazing.”
Are you in contact with Bastianini and Bezzecchi?
“Yes, absolutely they are all fantastic riders but let’s see as our priority is Maverick.”
How nice does it feel to take the Championship leader from Ducati?
“It is a very good point and is a nice reward for a company that pushes every year for growth, to increase performance, and to fight the top riders and manufacturers and we are really happy that we signed a rider like him. Maverick a couple of years ago took on this challenge when we were not in this position and now thanks to him we are in this position. We need to be grateful for the job which has been done by the company and also the riders.”
How do you think Jorge will adapt to the bike and the team?
“I think we are recognised as a good team that people feel well and riders feel great. His adaption will be a question mark but I don’t think it will take long with his riding style and level of talent.”
Does Martin signing sway Aleix Espargaro’s decision to stay as a test rider?
“It is a good point but I think Aleix would like to have a different challenge. He is a part of our history and we are grateful for that, so maybe he will find a better challenge for the future and we wish him the best.”
