RiderTua.com – MotoGP has no shortage of news, there are rumors that Aleix Espargaro and Jorge Martin will be teammates at Aprilia next season… Are they good friends or could they be like brothers? Due to the cancellation of the Argentina MotoGP race, there was a sudden break of three weeks after the second round of Portimao, the riders used this time to practice. Aleix Espargaro from Aprilia and Jorge from Pramac Ducati actually took part in another race. Martin formed a team with Aleix that was not limited by the manufacturer’s bike brand and participated in mountain bike (MTB) races held in Ibiza, a famous tourist destination.
The race itself takes place over three days, known as the World Triathlon Multisport ‘Iron Man’, due to its extreme level of challenge. Usually, not many can reach the finish, but the duo Aleix and Martin helped and encouraged each other and finished in 14th position. Among MTB’s top athletes, finishing 50 minutes behind the race leader is quite impressive. Moreover, this race is a team race where it doesn’t matter if one rider is faster than the other, they both have to reach the finish line together.
Aleix Espargaro and Jorge Martin to be teammates at Aprilia next season?
Fabio Quartararo, who had been rumored to be moving to Aprilia, decided to stay with Yamaha, and the situation regarding Aprilia’s seat next season suddenly changed. Who will get the Aprilia factory seat next season? .. Now rumors are circulating that Aleix and Martin will be teammates at Aprilia next season. Martin has decided that he will leave Pramac at the end of this season, and his target next season is of course to be promoted to the Ducati factory, but if things don’t go well, such as Bastianini retaining his seat or being displaced by Marquez… It seems there are plans to move to Aprilia as a factory rider. .
Coincidentally, for this MTB race, the two of them even made team t-shirts with pictures of Aleix with the number 41 and Martin with the number 89, the numbers they use in MotoGP, and are expected to continue to be used in MotoGP next season.
If Martin fails to join the factory squad and becomes a rider for another factory team, he will not be able to join Yamaha or Honda, and if he moves, it is inevitable that he will not be able to win. The KTM seats are already filled, so even though it goes through an elimination process, Aprilia is the only place to go.
Aleix and Martin have a very good relationship (Aleix fed, clothed and sheltered Martin when he was young), and they are good friends outside the circuit. There is nothing wrong with the two of them forming a team, but if that happens, it is clear that Vinales will be kicked out by Aprilia.
What makes the situation even more difficult for Vinales is that there are rumors that not only Martin but also Bastianini will come from Ducati to Aprilia, and specific negotiations have been ongoing since the end of last year.
Whatever the case, if Martin comes or Bastianini comes, Vinales will not get a seat at Aprilia next season. If he wants to stay at Aprilia, Vinales must win whatever happens in the next race at COTA. He must show a good performance.
Apart from that, what could further complicate the situation is the possibility that Aleix himself will retire, so it will be interesting to see what will happen to Aprilia’s driver line-up next season. Even though the reliability of the RS-GP engine is a problem, Aprilia is still a machine capable of winning in MotoGP today. Competition for these seats is likely to get tougher.
