World champion Martin wants to leave Aprilia before 2026 season

MotoGP world champion Jorge Martin announced his intention to leave Aprilia ahead of the 2026 season on Thursday, although the Italian team are still expecting the Spaniard to honour the two-year contract he signed with them.

Martin, who won his first MotoGP title last season with Pramac Racing, switched to Aprilia on a two-year deal, but the 27-year-old has yet to score a point this year after seven rounds.

Wrist and ankle injuries sustained in a pre-season crash prevented him from competing in the first three rounds before a crash in his first race in Qatar led to a collapsed lung and bruised ribs which have kept him off the bike for weeks.

"When I made the decision to change manufacturers last year, one of my premises was to have the possibility to test the bike in real circumstances and to understand the team and its working methodology," Martin said in a statement.

"In this way I could feel comfortable signing for two years instead of one, and so we included that condition.

"Faced with the situation of having to make a decision on a date that is established by contract, I have decided to exercise my right to release myself for the 2026 season."

Aprilia said last week that they had not had any negotiations with Martin to change his contract and allow for an early exit while also warning other teams not to approach him.

The Italian outfit said they expected Martin to see out his contract until the end of 2026 but the 27-year-old said he was "taking control of my future as a professional athlete" and that there was no conflict.

"At no time have I ever breached the contract. When we signed it, I agreed with Aprilia that, if certain circumstances were not met, I reserved the right to decide my future for 2026," he added.

"This