In a surprising turn of events, Aprilia Racing announced the signing of championship leader , just 30 minutes before the news became public. Martin was originally expected to join Ducati alongside Francesco Bagnaia, but with Marc Marquez rejecting the Pramac seat, Ducati opted for the legendary rider instead.
This twist of fate presented Aprilia with an opportunity. They quickly negotiated a deal with Martin to replace Aleix Espargaro, who will retire at the end of the season. Aprilia CEO Massimo Rivola expressed his delight with the signing, calling it a “racing” deal done at lightning speed.
While Rivola remained tight-lipped about specifics, he confirmed they explored the rider market after Espargaro’s retirement announcement and believes they secured the best option available.
Aprilia’s current rider Maverick Viñales remains undecided about his future. Ideally, Rivola hopes to keep Viñales and create a “super couple” with Martin. However, Rivola acknowledges they will explore other options if Viñales chooses to leave.
Despite the close friendship between Martin and Espargaro, Rivola doesn’t anticipate this signing impacting Espargaro’s decision to potentially join Honda in a development role.
This move strengthens Aprilia’s rider line-up, with Martin joining the existing satellite Trackhouse team that fields two additional RS-GP machines.
