2026’s rider market was meant to be a quieter affair than usual but since Jorge Martin’s (Aprilia Racing) statement about his Aprilia future was made, it’s all up in the air – and it doesn’t stop there. Speaking in pitlane during FP2 on Saturday morning, the reigning World Champion’s manager, Albert Valera, got down to the nitty gritty and confirmed that Honda is an option for 2026 and that the #1 is “free of contract” for 2026.
Talking about the latest situation with Martin, Valera stated Martin’s availability to other manufacturers: "What we can say is Jorge Martin is free of contract for 2026. It’s pretty clear for us, he’s executed a clause he had in the contract and we’re just following the contract. He’s completely open, available, and we will see what happens in the future. He had a clause in the contract, he had a right to exercise that clause, and he did so.
“For the moment, we cannot talk about any third-party offers because it’s still maybe not the moment. We need to talk and understand other offers. The first thing that we need to do is to make sure Jorge wants to execute that clause; he did it, he announced it in his statement. We deeply believe that he is free. From the moment that we defend Jorge’s freedom, we’re able to take to other manufacturers. You ask me about Honda and that is an option for next year.”
Talking about the story behind activating the clause in the contract, Valera explained in detail: “We always wanted to extend that clause until September or October because we know that the deadline was a bit short. We wanted to give Aprilia more time to try themselves; Jorge needs to try the bike and nobody can tell him he’s going to be fast. He needs to feel it first-hand. We always were open to extend the deadline, when we were talking about the contract and again now, to give Jorge more time and a second chance on the bike.
“If we can’t do that and it’s obvious that we haven’t achieved that outcome, we had to exercise the clause. The situation is that it’d be lovely to understand his future as soon as possible, so we can focus on Aprilia for the rest of the year. I think he can do a good job with Aprilia but they both need to be focused and prioritise what they still have to come this year.”
On whether or not the relationship could be salvaged and built back up, Valera continued, stating that whilst teammate Marco Bezzecchi has been fast and a winner, Martin must try the bike himself: “We always wanted to extend the clause, in good faith; we thought that Aprilia and Jorge deserved a second chance and that was denied, no one can tell Jorge he is going to be fast on Aprilia, he needs to feel it himself, that was always what we defended because that was the spirit of what we negotiate. I know that Marco is doing a good job and we believe that Jorge can do a good job. Jorge has a right, by contract, needs to try the bike himself. We need to give him that confidence; if we don’t, we’re giving him the wrong message and no matter what happens, he’ll probably think about other destinations.”
Following the FP2 session, Aprilia issued a statement, saying: “Our position has not changed since the press release issued on Thursday 22nd of May. Aprilia Racing representatives won’t give any further comment on the matter.”
Whatever happens, the outcome is the biggest off-track story still to be resolved regarding the 2026 rider line-up.