Jorge Martin offers glum verdict on retaining MotoGP title in 2025
“The challenge is huge”
Reigning MotoGP world champion Jorge Martin is already looking at the 2026 season as being a more realistic target for him to fight for the title with Aprilia.
After Ducati made a U-turn on its decision to promote him to its factory squad in favour of Marc Marquez, Martin signed a two-year deal with Aprilia.
Read more: The signs of hope after Jorge Martin's first test on the Aprilia
Winning the championship for Ducati with the Pramac squad last year, Martin will face his title defence year on an RS-GP that slid to third in the constructors’ table in 2024.
While Aprilia acknowledged that his feedback of the bike in his first test last November in Barcelona was “more positive than expected”, Martin has moved to temper expectations of him being able to fight for the title in 2025.
“If I had continued with Ducati, the goal would've been the same, which is to give it my all and aim for success,” he told the Tengo Un Plan podcast.
“But now I have no idea, because I don’t know what the bike will be like.
“The challenge is huge, since I’m getting on a low top 10 bike, while leaving one from the top positions.
“If I were to start from fifth place, and finish by winning races or getting a second, I’d be very proud. The important thing, however, is to progress.
“Bringing the Aprilia to fight for the championship won’t be easy, so the ambition for the new season isn’t that.
“The opportunity could present itself maybe as early as 2026 but, for now, I just have to try to do my best.”
Martin is the first world champion to change manufacturer for their title defence since Valentino Rossi in 2004, when he went from Honda to Yamaha.
Rossi went on to dominate the 2004 campaign to win his fourth premier class world title.
Aprilia will launch its 2025 season on 16 January in Milan, where it is widely expected that Martin will reveal that he is using the number one plate on his RS-GP this year.
He has teased the move several times on his social media channels over the winter.
