With Jorge Martín confirmed, Aprilia has only one slot left in MotoGP for 2025. Aleix Espargaró will retire at the end of the year, so the focus is on Maverick Viñales – a rider the team wants to retain but has not yet signed to a new contract expiring after this season.
Asked if the Noale manufacturer is still in the market or just focusing on Viñales’ renewal, Aprilia Racing CEO Massimo Rivola replied: ‘It’s a very good question. From my point of view, Maverick is a fixed point. To be honest I clearly did a mistake, […], I didn’t have time and that was not to tell him this was going to happen. But the priority was really to close it. I don’t know. For me, as I always said, Maverick was the one that helped the team in a very drastic way to do a step up. I think Maverick has now a level that is the reference for the other Aprilia riders, so clearly for us would be the best possible couple of riders having Maverick and Jorge’.
Regarding other available options, such as Enea Bastianini and Marc Márquez, the Italian leader stated: ‘I also asked Marc what was the situation, I spoke to Enea’s manager. I checked the riders’ market situation and then I think I got the best possible solution. But time will tell us if it is the best possible choice or not’.
That said, Rivola stressed that the prioritary option is Viñales: ‘I think the priority is to understand what Maverick wants to do with us, and then if Maverick wants to stay I’m the happiest person and then there’s no place for Enea. But for sure Enea is one of the riders that I’m trying to bring here since a long time. But let’s see, it’s difficult to predict now. I think everyone of you, in my shoes, would have done the same’.