Jorge Martin, future with Yamaha? The Aprilia rider responds to the rumors

Martin is in Sepang to follow the MotoGP test from the sidelines, unable to ride: he spoke about his physical condition and also about his future.

The 2026 MotoGP tests have begun in Malaysia, where Jorge Martin is present without the chance to get on his Aprilia RS-GP26. In mid-December he underwent two revision surgeries at the surgical sites of the left-hand scaphoid and the right clavicle. As a precaution, it was decided not to let him ride in Sepang, where he still traveled to closely follow the work of the Noale team. He will ride in Buriram (Thailand) in the final test scheduled for February 21-22.

The two-time world champion spoke to the media about his physical condition, which is steadily improving: "It’s been a tough winter," reports Motosan, "but I’m happy with how my body is now. It was very important for me to recover and, finally, I’m getting back to 100%. Last year I never raced at 100%. The goal is to be ready for the test in Thailand. On Monday I have the final medical check: if all goes well, I’ll start riding a bit before going to Thailand."

It only emerged in January that Martin’s old injuries were not completely resolved; Aprilia had not initially let anything slip, and even during the team presentation there didn’t seem to be any issues. In Sepang the rider had the chance to explain what happened: "It seemed like my hand was recovering, but after Valencia I realized it wasn’t, and then the same thing happened with the clavicle. I raced in Valencia thinking I was fine, but a few days later I couldn’t even take a glass from the cupboard. I changed doctors and they told me the plan was different. From the tests I’m doing, everything is healing very well."

When asked whether it was a mistake to race the Grand Prix in Valencia, the final round of the 2025 MotoGP season, the Spaniard didn’t rule it out: "I don’t know. Maybe I shouldn’t have raced and should have had surgery again. Or maybe I pushed myself too hard by racing and didn’t heal, so it’s impossible to say."

It was inevitable to talk about the rider market too, since some rumors have linked him as a possible future rider for the Yamaha factory team in place of Fabio Quartararo (reportedly heading to Honda): "It’s fun to watch the market from the outside," he told DAZN, "but I’m here because I want to focus on 2026 and on Aprilia, aiming to have a successful year. I can say that some members of my team are working on my future and I hope we’ll have everything decided soon. I don’t have to prove anything; I know my value and I know I’ll get back to where I deserve to be."

Martin isn’t committing to 2027 yet, though he shouldn’t have trouble finding a good seat. Unfortunately, he endured a nightmare 2025 due to various injuries, but he is a two-time world champion and for three consecutive years (2022, 2023, 2024) he finished in the top two of the final MotoGP standings. If he’s fit and finds a good feeling with the bike, he’s a rider who can fight for podiums and wins.