Aprilia “would have won more races” with Martin as it works to fix rift

When Jorge Martin confirmed his plans to leave Aprilia despite taking part in just one race weekend, the paddock was shocked by the hastiness of his decision. There’s little doubt that the bike hasn’t been as competitive as Ducati’s, but it was a surprising decision given Martin’s lack of time on the Aprilia RS-GP25.

Martin was injured on the first day of pre-season testing and his recovery proved to be long and difficult. The Spaniard only rejoined the championship for round four in Qatar where he suffered another crash that caused extended injuries.

The reality is that the reigning champion hasn’t really had much time to properly test the bike and to work with Aprilia’s engineers, nor has he really integrated himself into the team.

However, Aprilia Racing CEO Massimo Rivola told Spanish newspaper El Pais that he still wants the opportunity to build a relationship with Martin.

“After everything that has happened at the start of the season, the victory at Silverstone [for team-mate Marco Bezzecchi] was something more than special,” said Rivola.

“We thought we were going to be strong from the first race, but our season has been marked by Jorge’s absence. We have missed him a lot.

“He would have helped the development of the bike, and would also have accelerated the growth of Marco by being able to compare data, among other things.

“When a rider tells you that he wants to leave, of course it hurts, it’s inevitable and it’s a human feeling. I can’t say that everything is going well, it wouldn’t be true. But we are convinced, and we always have been, [that] our bike, with him, can win. At this stage we would have won more races than Silverstone. And I don’t want to be naïve, I say it with conviction and with the data in hand.

“Although it’s a very difficult situation, I understand what Jorge is going through. When a rider can’t ride and is out for so long, he suffers a lot. His mind can think all sorts of things, he may even associate that suffering with the bike, with our team.”

Team manager Paulo Bonora shared a similar desire to keep Martin onboard when he spoke to the DAZN media outlet.

“Love [to Jorge] is the right word,” said Bonora. “Surely, it was natural for the team to feel this love. But I think it’s [even more relevant] the warmth that came from the crowd, from the 20,000 people who were present at the All-Stars. They welcomed him very well, and gave strong signs of wanting him to still be with us.”

When asked whether the situation could be rectified, Bonora seemed confident that the burnt bridges could be rebuilt.

“It can be resolved,” stated Bonora. “We’re working on it.”

It does seem odd that Aprilia is pursuing the issue so strongly. After all, forcing a rider to ride a bike they don’t want to race is not a position that helps anyone.

Clearly, Aprilia is going to have to try and make the Spaniard fall back in love with the team, as it shows no sign of giving up on its star rider just yet.