Aprilia stands firm over Jorge Martin contract saga
The Italian manufacturer has remained silent on the matter since Motorsport.com exclusively revealed Martin intended to invoke a clause in his contract to be released from the second year of his deal for 2026, allowing him to leave at the end of the season.
Advertisement
The agreement signed by Aprilia and Martin last year at the Italian GP is set to hold no binding effect for the second season. Motorsport.com understands that in the version accepted by Aprilia, Martin's representatives included a clause granting him full freedom to accept offers from other teams if he was not among the title contenders after last Sunday's French GP at Le Mans.
Jorge Martin, Aprilia Racing Team
Jorge Martin, Aprilia Racing Team
Aprilia Racing
Aprilia Racing
'Aprilia Racing denies that any negotiations have taken place between the parties to modify the duration of the contract, which remains as originally agreed upon. The team has no comment on matters that do not directly concern it but expects other teams to refrain from making any kind of offer to riders who are under contract. Such behaviour would, in any case, not be legitimate.
Advertisement
'The entire Team will continue to support Jorge throughout his recovery process, as it always has, and looks forward to seeing him back on track with the RS-GP.'
Aprilia's comment on it 'expect[ing] other teams to refrain from making any kind of offer to riders who are under contract' is believed to be aimed at Honda, which could be Martin's destination if he is released early from his current contract.
Honda has no intention of making any move until Martin resolves his ongoing conflict with Aprilia and is officially free, while Aprilia boss Massimo Rivola held a meeting with Hikaru Tsukamoto, his Honda counterpart, at Le Mans.
The situation is remarkable following Martin's switch to Aprilia as reigning MotoGP world champion after winning the title last year with Pramac Ducati.
Advertisement
Two pre-season injuries sidelined Martin from the first three rounds in Thailand, Argentina and Austin, and he returned in Qatar, still not fully recovered, only to suffer a serious injury that resulted in nearly two weeks of hospital treatment in Doha due to a pneumothorax.
While a return to action date hasn't been set yet, it seems unlikely he will be fit to return before the German GP, the 11th round, scheduled for 11-13 July.
To read more Motorsport.com articles visit our website.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox Sports
7 hours ago
- Fox Sports
Ferrari's Leclerc stuns the McLarens to take pole for F1's Hungarian Grand Prix
Associated Press BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Charles Leclerc snatched a surprise first pole position of the year for Ferrari at the Hungarian Grand Prix on Saturday, beating both McLarens. Leclerc punched the air in delight as he climbed out of the car after beating Oscar Piastri by 0.026 of a second and the other McLaren of Lando Norris by .041. Leclerc had consistently been the best of the rest behind the McLarens in practice but remained well off Piastri and Norris' pace. That changed in qualifying, with the help of conditions which gradually got gloomier and windier, working against the McLarens. Norris and Piastri were each about half a second slower per lap in the final part of qualifying, compared to the second segment. Still, pole came as a shock at a circuit which Leclerc had called 'by far the worst track of the season for me' on Thursday. 'What?' Leclerc exclaimed over the radio when he was told he'd qualified first. 'Honestly, I have no words. It's probably one of the best pole positions I've ever had because it's the most unexpected,' Leclerc added later. Pole position is usually a big advantage in Hungary, where overtaking is difficult, but Norris noted the chance that rain could spring some surprises for Sunday's race. 'I have no idea how it will go, but one thing for sure is that I will do absolutely everything in order to keep that first place,' said Leclerc, who's on pole for the 27th time in F1 but doesn't have the best record converting those starts into wins. He'll be seeking his ninth F1 victory Sunday. It was a stark contrast with yet another frustrating day for Lewis Hamilton in the other Ferrari. Hamilton has won the Hungarian Grand Prix a record eight times but qualified 12th as the seven-time champion's troubles in his first season with Ferrari continued. 'Every time, every time,' Hamilton told the team over the radio after he qualified outside the top 10 for the second straight race. That came after Ferrari's executive chairman John Elkann called it 'a rough season' in comments Saturday on the F1 website, and defended Ferrari's trust in team principal Fred Vasseur, whose contract extension was announced Thursday. Ferrari hasn't won a Grand Prix since Carlos Sainz, Jr.'s victory in Mexico in October, when the Spanish driver — now at Williams — also had the Italian team's last pole. Defending champion Max Verstappen was only eighth after struggling with the balance of his Red Bull, and his teammate Yuki Tsunoda was 16th. That piles more pressure on the Japanese driver, who hasn't scored a point in six races. ___ AP auto racing: recommended Item 1 of 3
San Francisco Chronicle
7 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Ferrari's Leclerc stuns the McLarens to take pole for F1's Hungarian Grand Prix
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Charles Leclerc snatched a surprise first pole position of the year for Ferrari at the Hungarian Grand Prix on Saturday, beating both McLarens. Leclerc punched the air in delight as he climbed out of the car after beating Oscar Piastri by 0.026 of a second and the other McLaren of Lando Norris by .041. Leclerc had consistently been the best of the rest behind the McLarens in practice but remained well off Piastri and Norris' pace. That changed in qualifying, with the help of conditions which gradually got gloomier and windier, working against the McLarens. Norris and Piastri were each about half a second slower per lap in the final part of qualifying, compared to the second segment. Still, pole came as a shock at a circuit which Leclerc had called 'by far the worst track of the season for me' on Thursday. 'What?' Leclerc exclaimed over the radio when he was told he'd qualified first. 'Honestly, I have no words. It's probably one of the best pole positions I've ever had because it's the most unexpected,' Leclerc added later. Pole position is usually a big advantage in Hungary, where overtaking is difficult, but Norris noted the chance that rain could spring some surprises for Sunday's race. 'I have no idea how it will go, but one thing for sure is that I will do absolutely everything in order to keep that first place,' said Leclerc, who's on pole for the 27th time in F1 but doesn't have the best record converting those starts into wins. He'll be seeking his ninth F1 victory Sunday. It was a stark contrast with yet another frustrating day for Lewis Hamilton in the other Ferrari. Hamilton has won the Hungarian Grand Prix a record eight times but qualified 12th as the seven-time champion's troubles in his first season with Ferrari continued. 'Every time, every time,' Hamilton told the team over the radio after he qualified outside the top 10 for the second straight race. That came after Ferrari's executive chairman John Elkann called it 'a rough season' in comments Saturday on the F1 website, and defended Ferrari's trust in team principal Fred Vasseur, whose contract extension was announced Thursday. Ferrari hasn't won a Grand Prix since Carlos Sainz, Jr.'s victory in Mexico in October, when the Spanish driver — now at Williams — also had the Italian team's last pole. Defending champion Max Verstappen was only eighth after struggling with the balance of his Red Bull, and his teammate Yuki Tsunoda was 16th. That piles more pressure on the Japanese driver, who hasn't scored a point in six races.
Hamilton Spectator
7 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Ferrari's Leclerc stuns the McLarens to take pole for F1's Hungarian Grand Prix
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Charles Leclerc snatched a surprise first pole position of the year for Ferrari at the Hungarian Grand Prix on Saturday, beating both McLarens. Leclerc punched the air in delight as he climbed out of the car after beating Oscar Piastri by 0.026 of a second and the other McLaren of Lando Norris by .041. Leclerc had consistently been the best of the rest behind the McLarens in practice but remained well off Piastri and Norris' pace. That changed in qualifying, with the help of conditions which gradually got gloomier and windier, working against the McLarens. Norris and Piastri were each about half a second slower per lap in the final part of qualifying, compared to the second segment. Still, pole came as a shock at a circuit which Leclerc had called 'by far the worst track of the season for me' on Thursday. 'What?' Leclerc exclaimed over the radio when he was told he'd qualified first. 'Honestly, I have no words. It's probably one of the best pole positions I've ever had because it's the most unexpected,' Leclerc added later. Pole position is usually a big advantage in Hungary, where overtaking is difficult, but Norris noted the chance that rain could spring some surprises for Sunday's race. 'I have no idea how it will go, but one thing for sure is that I will do absolutely everything in order to keep that first place,' said Leclerc, who's on pole for the 27th time in F1 but doesn't have the best record converting those starts into wins. He'll be seeking his ninth F1 victory Sunday. It was a stark contrast with yet another frustrating day for Lewis Hamilton in the other Ferrari. Hamilton has won the Hungarian Grand Prix a record eight times but qualified 12th as the seven-time champion's troubles in his first season with Ferrari continued. 'Every time, every time,' Hamilton told the team over the radio after he qualified outside the top 10 for the second straight race. That came after Ferrari's executive chairman John Elkann called it 'a rough season' in comments Saturday on the F1 website, and defended Ferrari's trust in team principal Fred Vasseur, whose contract extension was announced Thursday. Ferrari hasn't won a Grand Prix since Carlos Sainz, Jr.'s victory in Mexico in October, when the Spanish driver — now at Williams — also had the Italian team's last pole. Defending champion Max Verstappen was only eighth after struggling with the balance of his Red Bull, and his teammate Yuki Tsunoda was 16th. That piles more pressure on the Japanese driver, who hasn't scored a point in six races. ___ AP auto racing:
