Aprilia says rival MotoGP teams “offering a lot of money to our riders” for 2027

Aprilia CEO Massimo Rivola admits rival MotoGP teams are already “offering a lot of money to our riders” Marco Bezzecchi and Jorge Martin for the 2027 season.

This year represents the final season of almost every contract on the grid, with only a handful of riders holding deals into 2027.

All factory team riders hit the market for 2027, with deals expected to be done quickly with so many big names becoming free agents.

The massive regulation change for next year has created a lot of uncertainty over the competitive order, but Aprilia has positioned itself as a frontrunning outfit following its best season ever in 2025.

Massimo Rivola has made no secret of his desire to re-sign Marco Bezzecchi, who won three grands prix in 2025 on his way to third in the standings.

Speaking at the Aprilia launch on Thursday in Milan, he told select media - including Crash.net - that talks are already underway with Bezzecchi over a new deal.

He also confirmed no talks have been held with Jorge Martin yet, but revealed other teams have been courting Aprilia’s two riders already.

“Honestly, I would not prefer to do it quickly,” Rivola said when asked if deals for 2027 will need to be signed soon.

“But maybe I’m forced to do it quickly because the others are moving quite fast.

“I know that they are offering a lot of money to our riders.

“But in the end, it’s a commitment we need to have altogether.

“Clearly, with Marco, we’ve started to build something that could stay in the books.

“With Jorge, we didn’t start yet.

“I would love to see him 100% physically, and he is far away from being that.

“And he’s a world champion, so it would be really nice to see him with us in the future.

“But first, we need to give him time. Priority is to have the best possible bike.”

Martin was already linked to Honda for this year, after trying to activate a performance clause in his Aprilia deal.

It is thought the 2024 world champion remains a key target for HRC.