How Long Every MotoGP Rider Is Signed For – Full Contract Breakdown
Wondering who’s safe for 2025 and who might be on the move? Here's a complete rundown of every MotoGP rider's contract length.
What began as Aprilia’s big coup in the MotoGP rider market may now be spiraling into a potential contractual and reputational crisis.
Just five months into the 2025 season, Jorge Martin’s relationship with the Noale factory appears to be on the verge of collapse – and not just because he hasn’t scored a single point.
Martin’s long-anticipated move to Aprilia was officially announced during the 2024 Italian Grand Prix weekend, following Ducati’s decision to sign Marc Marquez instead.
But buried in the rush to secure the reigning world champion was a crucial clause – a ticking time bomb, now set to go off.
According to Motorsport.com, Martin’s management inserted a clause allowing him to unilaterally break the Aprilia contract if performance turned out to be unsatisfactory.
The injury-plagued champion
Martin’s campaign with Aprilia never really started. Two separate crashes in pre-season testing kept him out of the first three rounds in Thailand, Argentina, and Austin.
Then came the ill-fated Qatar comeback, where a violent crash left him hospitalized in Doha with a pneumothorax and multiple rib fractures.
Although his return to Europe brought a “very encouraging” medical update – just three of the initial eleven fractures remain – Martin has completed barely 70km of racing so far.
For comparison, his teammate Marco Bezzecchi has logged over 2,000km in practice alone.
Aprilia’s best results this year have come courtesy of rookie Ai Ogura, who sits 10th in the standings for the satellite Trackhouse squad.
In short: the RS-GP isn’t where Martin expected it to be, and he hasn’t had the chance to make any difference.
The clause
The clause Aprilia signed off on last June hinged on one thing – championship contention after Le Mans.
That point has now passed. And even though the wording technically allows Martin to leave for 2026, he’s already made his intentions clear.
Aprilia believes it can challenge the clause on legal grounds, arguing that Martin’s inability to compete due to injury invalidates the performance-based trigger.
There’s still a glimmer of hope. Out of respect for Aprilia, Martin is reportedly open to extending the evaluation window by six more races, up to the San Marino GP in September.
He would attempt a private test before returning to full-time action – something now permitted under MotoGP’s updated rules. But Aprilia’s leadership sees this as a stopgap.
Internally, the sense is that Martin has already made up his mind – and that the factory was never given a fair shot to prove itself.
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But where would Martin go?
The options are limited, but not non-existent. The most likely destination is Honda, where Luca Marini’s factory seat remains the only confirmed vacancy among the big teams.
Among independent teams, Pramac Yamaha and VR46 Ducati each have a potential slot for 2026, though they’d be clear step-downs from Martin’s current factory status – unless Ducati finds a way to reabsorb its former title winner.
Whether Martin leaves or stays, the reputational damage is already done.
Aprilia signed the reigning world champion, promoted it as a transformational moment, and is now locked in a messy contract standoff without a single point or podium to show for it.
Worse still, their technical package appears to have slipped backward, leaving even hardcore Aprilia believers wondering if Martin’s doubts are valid.
And with Ai Ogura – on a satellite bike – leading the Aprilia charge, it’s hard to argue otherwise.
