The latest documentary from MotoGP has thrown light on an intriguing twist in the world of motorcycle racing, revealing that Jorge Martin was presented with a "very attractive" offer from Honda for the 2026 season. This revelation comes directly from Massimo Rivola, the CEO of Aprilia, who shared insights into the contract discussions that led to a significant conflict.
In 2025, Jorge Martin had only participated in a single grand prix weekend with Aprilia due to an injury when news broke about his desire to leave the team by 2026. The reigning world champion attempted to invoke a performance clause in his contract, but Aprilia strongly opposed this move, citing his limited time spent on the RS-GP model as a reason.
Speculation began to swirl around Martin's potential move to Honda for the 2026 season, especially after his manager, Albert Valera, openly acknowledged the possibility during the Dutch Grand Prix weekend. However, HRC (Honda Racing Corporation) firmly denied having made any offers and maintained their stance against negotiating with riders who were still under contract with other teams.
Eventually, the situation was resolved after Aprilia threatened legal action, and with intervention from Dorna's CEO, Carmelo Ezpeleta, Martin ultimately decided to honor the second year of his contract. When Martin addressed the media at Brno regarding the contract controversy, he expressed no regrets, insisting he was prioritizing his career and reflecting on his uncertainty following a severe crash in Qatar.
In the newly released MotoGP documentary titled From Heaven to Hell, Rivola elaborates on the critical conversation he had with Valera concerning Martin's potential exit from Aprilia. He recounted, "Albert Valera, his manager, approached me and mentioned, ‘You know, I think we may be leaving, and Honda is quite interested; the offer is really good.’" Rivola’s immediate reaction was one of disbelief: “Are you joking?”
Determined to get to the bottom of the matter, Rivola traveled to Madrid the following day to speak with Martin directly. During their discussion, Martin conveyed, "I believe it would be better for me to leave," to which Rivola firmly responded, "I’m sorry, but I cannot let you go."
Rivola later emphasized his position by stating, "I was also quite firm with him, saying, ‘You are not leaving, because I understand what is best for you even more than you do.’"
This narrative first emerged shortly after the French Grand Prix, with Aprilia subsequently celebrating victory at the British Grand Prix thanks to Marco Bezzecchi. Lewis, a seasoned journalist with five years of experience covering MotoGP for the Motorsport Network, joined the Crash.net team in August 2024.
