Just last night in our Live with Carlo Pernat we were talking about the possible deflagration of a bombshell in the riders' market, but thinking about the situation in Ducati with Pecco Bagnaia undecided on what to do, after six underwhelming Grands Prix, ahead of 2026. Not 2027: 2026. Leave the Borgo Panigale factory or stay and fight Marc Marquez?
We were wondering, however, about the wrong rider. Indeed, it was our good old friend German Casanova of our cousin site motorsport.com who was right on the button when he launched an Exocet missile that hit Aprilia's headquarters in Noale, causing very serious damage to the infrastructure, even raising fears of a turnover of whoever is running the MotoGP campaign.
According to Motorsport, in fact, "in the agreement made by Aprilia, Jorge Martin's agents included a clause whereby their client would be free to accept and sign any competitive proposal in the event that he was not among the championship contenders after the completion of last Sunday's French Grand Prix, at Le Mans."
This means that Martin is seeking termination of the contract, which intervenes when the contract is valid but no longer effective due to supervening events such as default or supervening impossibility of performance. In the case at hand the clause emphasized by Jorge's agent, who is Albert Valera to whom we recently dedicated a video.
According to Motorsport, "Martin was in Le Mans on Friday, having driven there from his home in Andorra. He kept a low profile and did not visit the circuit to avoid drawing attention, but held several meetings, including one where he informed the Aprilia management of his intention to activate the release clause for 2026. The news has shocked the leadership at the Noale-based company, which is now considering legal action for breach of contract if Martin leaves."
The news is so sensational - bravo German! - that it is hard not to believe a tip-off, and our thoughts immediately run to Honda, which is in big trouble with its riders, Johann Zarco aside. Obviously the Japanese giant is keeping a low profile in this situation, as - knowing the Japanese reality - an intervention from them before the dust of the rubble has settled would be unacceptable.
Needless to say, we believe this to be absolutely true. At the same time we think that this is one of those cases where the explosion destroys both the target and the person who aimed it.
Let's start with the clause: it can hardly be enforced, since the causes that led to this state of affairs were not brought about by a default (lack of competitiveness) on the part of Aprilia, but by two consecutive incidents in which Jorge Martin himself was the protagonist. We remind you of them: the incident in the very first laps of the Sepang test and the 'domestic' incident in training. We remove from the tally the pneumothorax in Lusail, in the only race contested by the reigning world champion.
Incidentally, let us recall that regarding the Sepang crash, Aprilia even went askance with Michelin, debunking Taramasso. This does not detract from the fact that to have signed a contract with such a clause, even if inapplicable to the case in question, is a sign of an incredible, serious frivolity, so much so that we find it almost impossible to think that a manager of Massimo Rivola's experience could have accepted it.
Obviously the matter is destined to end up in the hands of the lawyers, but it is so serious, however it turns out, that it is unthinkable that the Martin-Aprilia relationship will continue.
As we were saying last night, and as it was in the recent Marquez-Honda and Zarco-KTM divorce cases, no manufacturer can make a rider race against his will. The relationship therefore ends here, with what aftermath, we shall see.
Putting a patch on things, to which Jorge Martin has entrusted the task of covering the chasm created in the human relations between him and Aprilia by extending the trial period for six more events is also impractical, as well as unacceptable and not mandatory for the Italian manufacturer. Indeed, what is the basis on which to decide after six more Grands Prix, for a rider who has missed five out of six and has not participated in the development?
Having said that, riders are not normal people, and we understand Jorge Martin's frustration, which, however, is not even remotely comparable to that experienced by Marc Marquez in Honda after winning six world championships with them, winning for HRC despite the bike and crashing repeatedly in an attempt to bring it back to the top. There it was a relationship of great mutual esteem, while in the Aprilia-Martin case, we don't even know how to define this situation that, as we said, leaves two victims on the field.
Martin's behavior, in fact, if all these reconstructions are true, deserves an exemplary solution. On the other hand, there remains the vulnus of a contract signed with an unacceptable clause for which someone must take responsibility.
It must also be remembered that Jorge is no stranger to certain operations. The Spaniard, in fact, in his Moto2 days had a contract with KTM to move to MotoGP with the Austrian manufacturer in 2021. Even then there was a clause: Martin could back out if KTM did not have a rider in the top 10 at the end of June the previous year. Which it did, but because that season was heavily influenced by the Covid outbreak and the first MotoGP GP was not run until late July. In that way, the Spaniard got away from his manufacturer and signed with Ducati and the Pramac team.
The lack of professionalism in this MotoGP, between amateurishly managed starts, unguaranteed grid slots (KTM) for the foreseeable future and these types of contracts is increasingly evident. The wheels of the 'greatest show on earth' (cit.) are creaking, waiting (or not) for Liberty Media to lead the bandwagon.