APRILIA’S TEAM ORDERS AND CONTRACT DISPUTE HAVE STRAINED TIES WITH MARTIN

Jorge Martin’s bid to stop Marc Marquez winning the MotoGP title has been dealt a major blow by injury, leaving Aprilia’s approach to team orders under renewed scrutiny—and exposing lingering strain between the rider and his team.

Martin fractured his wrist in the Australian Grand Prix Sprint and tried to race at Sepang just days later, but withdrew before qualifying. He has said he will “fight until the end”, while acknowledging that the championship is “lost” in all likelihood. Marquez’s victory in Malaysia stretched his advantage to 44 points, with 74 still available. Martin is also a doubt for Qatar, where Marquez could clinch the title. Aprilia teammate Marco Bezzecchi is 68 points behind the Ducati rider.

Before Martin’s injury, attention had focused on whether Aprilia would use team orders to help its title contender. Trackhouse riders Raul Fernandez and Ai Ogura had taken points from the factory team’s riders throughout the season. Aprilia had called for its four riders to work together, but its pit wall did not intervene during races.

The clearest opportunity came in Indonesia. Fernandez was running ahead of Martin, and a request for him to move aside could have lifted Martin from third to second and earned him four extra points. Spanish journalist Mela Chercoles said on *Hospitality Motociclismo* that someone close to Marquez was surprised Aprilia had not issued that signal. Chercoles stressed the observation came from Marquez’s camp, adding that those four points might have reduced Martin’s deficit enough for him to be less aggressive in Australia, where he was later injured.

The debate may now be academic, given Martin’s condition and Marquez’s commanding lead. But Aprilia’s handling of its riders has drawn wider criticism. Former crew chief Ramon Forcada said the team had not established a clear number-one rider, despite having a competitive bike and fast riders. He argued that internal disputes should be avoided by a team seeking the championship, pointing to a collision between Bezzecchi and Ogura and questioning the value of Ogura acting as a “wingman” for several laps while rivals closed in.

Forcada also said Martin’s contract dispute had left a mark on the relationship. After a near life-threatening crash in Qatar in 2025, Martin tried to leave Aprilia for the following season; reports at the time linked him with Honda, but MotoGP prevented the move. Aprilia and Martin have since said their relationship is good, yet Forcada described the episode as leaving a “bitter aftertaste”, saying the public arguments over his departure, contract clauses and possible court action had created a rift.

Martin will leave Aprilia for Yamaha in 2027, with Pecco Bagnaia set to replace him. He had hoped to depart with the title, but Marquez’s resurgence since Mugello has transformed the contest: Marquez was 102 points behind before the Italian Grand Prix and now leads by 44. Marquez has argued that riders need help from teammates only when they are not fast enough to beat them. Ducati has not faced the same discussion, as Marquez has usually been its leading rider.