For the first time, Jorge Martin gives insights into his first test with Aprilia and raves about the first prototype for the 2025 MotoGP season
After the only test he has been able to complete with his new machine so far, MotoGP world champion and Aprilia newcomer Jorge Martin is impressed by the progress made with the base of the RS-GP for the 2025 season. The final model will be presented in February at the test in Sepang.
“I can’t say much about the bike. But everyone who was there saw the joy I had,” Martin said in an interview with Motorsport.com Spain.
On Tuesday after the last race of the season in Barcelona, the Spaniard completed a total of 77 laps. His fastest time was just one second behind Alex Marquez, the fastest rider in the last official MotoGP test before the summer break.
Due to contractual restrictions under his agreement with Ducati until the end of the year, Martin has not yet been able to express any detailed impressions of the switch to the RS-GP, but he reveals: “I was happy, and I don’t think I could be happier anywhere else than at Aprilia.”
“I think the new package is very interesting and the leap the bike has made is the biggest in recent years. The potential is high and it looks promising,” adds Martin, who will share the 2025 box with Marco Bezzecchi, who is also joining Aprilia from the Ducati camp.
The arrival of the world champion can be seen as the culmination of an internal restructuring at Aprilia that affects all areas of the company.
The aim of this realignment is to reduce the gap between Aprilia and Ducati, which has won the title for the past three years and, with 19 wins from 20 races in 2024, produced one of the most dominant machines of all time.
“Aprilia has the commitment, and I have experienced that personally,” Martin is convinced. ”I have realized how much they appreciate me and what they will do for me. But the responsibility of welcoming the champion is taken seriously.”
“We all want to win, and to do that, a suitable strategy and working dynamic must be applied,” says the Spaniard. However, he does not give a clear answer when asked about Aprilia’s drop in performance in the second half of the season, which has been observed repeatedly in recent years.
“This year Aprilia started better than ever, but from Aragon onwards it has indeed declined. It is very difficult to understand from the outside what is happening – how you can win in Austin, coming from the back row, like Maverick did, and then immediately be more than 11 seconds behind in Jerez,” Martin said.