After much speculation, we finally have an answer! Jorge Martin will use the #1 plates for the 2025 campaign. The reigning World Champion revealed his decision at Aprilia Racing’s 2025 Team Presentation, with the move also meaning that an Aprilia bike will have the #1 plate for the very first time in the premier class.
“I didn't have any doubts about putting the #1, because I've been fighting for this all of my life. Achieving the World Championship in MotoGP and being able to put this number on the Aprilia is super nice. Hopefully, we can have much more motivation with this number. I feel great with it and, hopefully, we can bring it to the top” said Martin during the Noale factory's Team Presentation in Milan.
‘The Martinator’ joins an elite group of riders to have donned the #1 plate, continuing a revived tradition in MotoGP™. His predecessor, Francesco Bagnaia, became the first rider in over a decade to wear the #1 after clinching the 2022 Championship. Bagnaia went on to make history by successfully defending the title in 2023, becoming the first MotoGP™ rider to retain the #1 since Mick Doohan accomplished the feat during his dominant 500cc era, winning five consecutive titles from 1994 to 1998.
Defending the #1 plate is a rare achievement, with only a select few riders managing to do so. In the 500cc era, Wayne Rainey joined Doohan on this exclusive list, claiming three straight titles from 1990 to 1992. Meanwhile, modern Legends like Casey Stoner, Jorge Lorenzo, and Nicky Hayden all donned the #1 after Championship-winning campaigns but fell short of retaining their crowns.
For Martin, the stakes in 2025 are higher than ever. Having chosen to leave Ducati for Aprilia, he’s not only brought the #1 plate to the Noale factory but also set his sights on delivering their first-ever MotoGP™ World Championship.
It won’t come easy though, with the Bologna bullets’ factory line up of Pecco Bagnaia and Marc Marquez more than a formidable challenge aboard the GP25, while he will also have to contend with the likes of rising star Pedro Acosta on the latest spec KTM, while his own teammate, Marco Bezzecchi, will be eager to prove himself within the Aprilia camp.
The world’s most exciting sport promises a spectacle for the ages. Can you wait? We can’t!