Reigning MotoGP World Champion Jorge Martin has reversed his decision to leave Aprilia at the end of the current season.
Martin had been embroiled in a contract dispute with his current team after he intended to activate a release clause that would allow him to leave the manufacturer a year into his deal.
Part of the reason the Spanish rider had elected to activate this clause was due to the perceived underperformance of the RS-GP and the fact that he was outside of the top three in the championship, though this was also impacted by his own injuries
However, Aprilia had argued Martin’s attempts to leave were in breach of the agreed contract as he had only completed one race weekend with the team in Qatar before suffering further injuries that ruled him out of action until the CzechGP.
The Italian manufacturer had also threatened legal action, with Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta stating that the World Champion would not be allowed to race for another team unless his situation with Aprilia was dealt with.
Ahead of the action in Brno, amidst rumours that the Spaniard had U-turned on his attempts to leave the Italian manufacturer, Martin confirmed he will remain an Aprilia rider for 2026.
“I’m happy to be back… and happy to say that I will continue at Aprilia for 2026,” Martin said in the pre-weekend press conference.
“I fought for what I thought was best for me, trying to move on to another project.”
Martin confirmed there had been interest from Honda, but revealed other manufacturers had also been enquiring about his services.
“I could continue with this fight, but in life we have to take decisions and I’ve decided to stay in Aprilia for one more season.”
“I don’t regret anything, I did what I thought was best for me.”
