Jorge Martin has been very impressive this season and is closing in on his first MotoGP championship after battling Francesco Bagnaia.
The Spaniard is leading the championship and has a 24-point advantage over his nearest rival ahead of the Solidarity Grand Prix at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Martin’s campaign has been built on consistency, and he hasn’t finished outside the top two in the previous five MotoGP Grands Prix.
He also gained some points in Malaysia last time out, as Bagnaia made a mistake in the Sprint and fell off the bike.
Aleix Espargaro has been helping Martin’s title bid as the Aprilia rider gave the Pramac pilot a critical slipstream in the second part of qualifying at the final round.
Michael Laverty said on TNT Sports 2 (16/11, 10:35) that there may be another reason why Espargaro is helping Martin, alongside the championship leader taking his compatriot’s Aprilia ride in 2025.
Michael Laverty feels the real reason Aleix Espargaro is helping Jorge Martin is not because of Aprilia
Martin is on the verge of the championship and can win the title with Pramac if he outscored Ducati rider Bagnaia this weekend at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Espargaro has endured a difficult season by his lofty standards after taking victory at the Circuit of the Americas last year.
The Spaniard hasn’t scored a podium this season, but Aprilia haven’t been able to match Ducati. This made life difficult for the Spaniard before he joins Honda as a test rider in 2025.
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Laverty explained that while Aprilia would like to have the reigning champion in their ranks next season, Espargaro is helping Martin without being influenced by the team.
He said: “Split allegiances. Obviously, at the moment, Aleix is an Aprilia rider [and] Jorge Martin will be an Aprilia rider come Tuesday. The number one plate is something that Aprilia really want.
“But then Aleix is off to Honda, so he’s purely doing it for his mate I believe. Not [as] an Aprilia demand. He wants to help.
“He’s treated Jorge Martin as his protege the last few years. They train together, they live beside each other in Andorra, they go on holiday together and it’s all about the title this weekend. So, I think Aleix is just doing one for his mate.”
Jorge Martin is under a different pressure than Francesco Bagnaia this weekend
Martin is yet to win a MotoGP championship and is chasing his first title since his Moto3 success in 2018 before making it to the highest level.
He has everything to lose, while Bagnaia must take more risks than the Spaniard to win a third championship.
The Italian knows how to put together a championship-winning campaign, while Martin hasn’t yet got over the line.
Martin has been told this is a career ‘defining’ weekend at the Solidarity Grand Prix, as he has the opportunity to take his first championship.