Will Martín Face 2027 Seat Struggles?

Jorge Martín, the 2024 world champion, looks set to be dismissed by Aprilia by the end of the year. But how could one of the top riders on the grid possibly be without a seat next season? 

(Image credit to motogp.com)

Jorge Martín is currently second in the Moto GP championship standings. He has only won one race this season at the time of writing, as we approach the 2026 Italian GP. Martín’s teammate Bezzecchi has won four races and currently leads the championship by fifteen points after a disastrous weekend for Martín in Catalonia. 

It is important to clarify that Martín’s potential seat struggles will not stem from a lack of talent; it is undeniable that the Spaniard is one of the best riders of this generation when he gets on the bike, and so far this year, he has been putting in consistent performances with Aprilia. So with the Martinator in contention for this year's world championship, how is it even fathomable that he may not have a ride next year?

To set the scene, we must return to the Catalonian GP, where Martín and Trackhouse rider Fernandez unfortunately collided on the third restart of a race fuelled by chaos. This resulted in Martín crashing into the gravel, and he could not complete the rest of the race. When he returned to Aprilia’s pit-box, however, footage quickly showed Martín ‘attacking’ (shoving) team manager Massimo Rivola. Martín was quick to apologise for his behaviour afterwards; however, this incident highlights the tenuous relationship between Aprilia and their rider.

To be clear, the former world champion had an unfortunate weekend up until this point, after a crash in FP1 left him with a concussion and further crashes in FP2, the sprint, and the main race resulted in Jorge scoring zero points over the span of the weekend. But this sort of behaviour is not an isolated incident. Last year was a complete and utter write-off for Martín, as he missed a large portion due to injury, which hindered his chance at a title defence and, as a result, barely raced over the duration of the season.

Martín’s response to this, however, was to threaten to leave Aprilia for Honda, publicly stating on his social media that he was going to invoke a clause in his contract that allowed him to leave. This was the major turning point in the relationship between Jorge and Aprilia, as Jorge caused a crisis for the team and dragged their name through the mud at the same time.In the process destroyed the idea of a contact extension. Martín made his stance very clear to Aprilia, and consequently, Aprilia essentially did the same and started looking for new riders. Martín is currently under contract until the end of this season. Bagnaia, who currently rides for Ducati Lenovo, looks set to leave the Italian giants and ultimately join Aprilia for 2027. 

In theory, Martín just has to find a new seat at a new team, right? Unfortunately for Martín, it does not seem to be that straight forward, Why?

After his championship win in 2024 with Pramac, it was already common knowledge that Martín was going to leave the team at the end of the season, regardless of whether he won the championship or not. When he ended up beating Bagnaia to glory, the Spaniard still chose to leave Pramac, despite just winning his first world championship with them. This act of disloyalty has tarnished his reputation with many of the teams on the grid. This now labels Martín as a rider who lacks commitment. Aprilia showed extreme potential last year and has certainly delivered this season, and Martín publicly displayed how he was ready to jump ship last season. This therefore theoretically excludes him from manufacturers such as Honda and Yamaha, who both, separately, are building long-term projects and do not seem as though they will be competitive in the long run. 

Similarly, bigger names such as the factory and satellite Ducati and Aprilia teams seem to have their lineups sorted for the next season, leaving little to no room for speculation about who will ride for them in the near future. Martín’s only saving grace at Aprilia would come at Trackhouse, however this is a step down in rank that the Spaniard looks unlikely to snap up.

This now leaves Martín with little to no options for a seat next year, and one thing is certain: Pramac will not be taking him back any time soon. With Bagnaia most likely taking the 2027 seat alongside fellow countryman and close friend Bezzecchi, the options are quickly drying up for the 2024 world champion, and now suddenly, midway through the 2026 season, it suddenly seems very plausible that, in fact, Martín may not have a seat next season as Aprilia look certain not to extend with him, but as always, only time will tell.

There have been rumours, backed up by the man himself, that Martín will move to Yamaha for the 2027 season to replace 2021 world champion Quartararo, who looks set to leave for Honda. However, with the new regulation changes coming into play next year and the future of the sport itself up for debate, if Martín is to jump ship to Yamaha and they do not deliver, he may suddenly find himself once again in this scenario, with one less team to turn to for a seat.

Do you think Martín will have a seat next year? Let me know in the comments below ! 

Article written by Olive