Jorge Martin joins Aprilia Racing as Marc Marquez takes factory seat at Ducati

Aprilia Racing recently announced it has signed 2024 MotoGP championship leader Jorge Martin in a multi-year deal, ending months of speculations regarding the 2025 MotoGP rider lineup.

With Martin’s switch to Aprilia, Ducati also announced Marquez’s switch from Gresini Racing to the factory team. It became more and more clear once Marc recently said that racing on a factory bike at Pramac was “not an option" for the former Honda rider. Given Marquez’s high market value coupled with his return to form on the 2023 Ducati bike, the team went the extra mile to keep the rider on board.

Once Martin was informed of Ducati’s decision, it seemed to make things clear for the Spaniard, who chose to walk away from the Italian brand and opted for a factory seat at Aprilia.

Speaking about signing on Martin at Aprilia, Massimo Rivola - CEO, Aprilia, said, “A path of unstoppable growth, Jorge is a building block to reach the goal we are all looking for with great hunger at Aprilia Racing. Thanks to Dr. Michele Colaninno for this opportunity, we spoke last night and without wasting any time we made the decision."

Jorge Martin will step in place of Aleix Espargaro, who announced his retirement recently from MotoGP at the end of this season. Martin will be joining Maverick Vinales at Aprilia. However, the rider is yet to announce his plans for 2025 even as Rivola confirmed his place on the team beyond 2024.

Amid the rider reshuffle, rider Pedro Acosta will join KTM next season from the GasGas Tech3 team. The move will see him join Brad Binder who signed a multi-year deal with the Austrian manufacturer until 2026. Fabio Quartararo will also stick around with Yamaha for the next two years, while Honda has Luca Marini and Johann Zarco signed on until the end of the next season. The reshuffle leaves Ducati factory team rider Enea Bastianini without a seat for 2025.

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