APRILIA BOSS RULES OUT TEAM ORDERS FOR MARTIN UNTIL TITLE MATH IS SET

Jorge Martin’s Austrian Grand Prix weekend has widened his grip on the MotoGP title race, leaving Aprilia boss Massimo Rivola addressing whether the team could ever intervene with team orders to help the Spaniard fend off rivals such as Marc Marquez.

Martin converted pole into victory in the Sprint, although the win came after a mistake from race leader Pedro Acosta. On Sunday, Acosta was described as unstoppable, yet Martin still delivered a result that mattered: he took the points to move further clear in the standings. With Marquez finishing second on Saturday and fifth on Sunday, Martin broke a tie at the top of the championship and edged out a small lead that has since grown into a 12-point advantage after the weekend.

The bigger story for Aprilia is the gap between its two riders. While Martin’s form has kept him on track for the championship, teammate Marco Bezzecchi has lost more ground despite two third-place finishes. Rivola highlighted that Martin is now 42 points ahead of Bezzecchi, the largest advantage he has held all season, and that scenario could create an awkward dynamic if Martin becomes the only realistic route to the title.

Asked about the possibility of team orders being used to maximise Martin’s chances against Marquez, Rivola said they would not be imposed unless one rider was mathematically out of contention. “I don’t think so,” Rivola told Sky Sports Italy. “I mean, as long as the riders have the math on their side, it’s right to give them a chance to compete.” He added that he hopes both of his riders remain in the title fight until the end: “And I hope both of my riders have the math on their side until the last race, so I don’t think so.”

Rivola also pointed out that the championship still has plenty of points available, with a maximum of seven rounds remaining depending on the Qatar decision, meaning as many as 259 points could still be won. He noted that Ducati’s position on team orders has not been confirmed, but suggested that in practice it may not become a consistent issue because Francesco Bagnaia typically does not get close enough to Marquez for it to matter.

On the question of why Martin may be better equipped for a tight title battle, Rivola returned to experience. He said Martin’s history in championship fights—both his success in 2024 against Bagnaia and his failure the previous year—gives him an edge. “I think history speaks for itself,” Rivola said. “Jorge has two huge advantages over Marco: one is that he’s already won a world championship, and the other is that he’s already lost one.” Rivola added that Marquez’s experience multiplies that advantage further: “That’s an advantage that [seven-time MotoGP champion] Marquez has even more, multiplied by 10, 20, 30.” He concluded that the lessons from losing and winning are learned through experience rather than theory.