Aprilia triumphs, Yamaha falters: why Jorge Martin isn't worried about the switch

The Iwata factory is struggling a lot—will it be ready for the 2027 rules change? Martinator doesn’t seem worried.

Jorge Martin and Yamaha are coming off a MotoGP weekend at Silverstone experienced in completely different ways. The Spanish rider won the sprint race and then finished second in the main race, maintaining the lead in the overall standings and pulling away from his pursuers. The Japanese manufacturer, on the other hand, once again confirmed it has an uncompetitive bike: 7 total points earned by combining the results of three different riders. A disaster.

In 2027-2028, Martin will race for the factory Yamaha team, and some think he may have made the wrong choice. It’s an understandable view, but next year will bring new technical regulations and a new tire supplier (Pirelli). With projects essentially restarting from scratch, we could see somewhat different performance values on the MotoGP grid.

Clearly, a big question mark for Yamaha concerns the V4 engine, introduced in the MotoGP era for the first time this year. In 2026 we’re not seeing progress, and this situation generates some skepticism about the future as well. The other manufacturers have more experience with that type of engine, so they are undoubtedly at an advantage. We’ll see if this year of learning has helped the Iwata factory put a competitive V4 on track in 2027.

Even though Yamaha isn’t shining today and some believe it could disappoint next year as well, Martin has no regrets about his choice: "I think in life you have to make certain decisions,” he told DAZN in an interview with journalist Izaskun Ruiz. “In 2024 I had to make a decision in a hurry, now I had the opportunity to make another with more calm, with more time. I’ve always made decisions thinking about what was best for me and my family, and I believe this is the best one. Just like when I signed with Aprilia—it was a disaster: where was I going with an Aprilia that had never won before, and now I’m leading the championship. Next year or in two years, the world will give its opinion.”

The two-time world champion recalled that even when he signed with Aprilia, there were doubts about what he would be able to achieve with the Noale team. Surely, Aprilia’s situation in 2024 wasn’t what Yamaha’s is today; the RS-GP’s potential was decidedly higher than that of the current M1. But, as we’ve already written, 2027 will bring new regulations and new tires: everyone is placing bets on technical projects that can’t be assessed today. We’ll need to wait for pre-season testing and the first Grands Prix of 2027 to have a clearer picture. Only time will tell if Martin made the right choice.