Alberto Puig has discussed the potential of Jorge Martin swapping an Aprilia RS-GP for a Honda RC213V in 2026.
On Friday at the British Grand Prix, Honda finally spoke about any potential interest in Jorge Martin.
There have been several rumours floating around the MotoGP paddock over the last two weeks speculating on the future of MotoGP World Champion, Jorge Martin.
After the French Grand Prix, a bombshell piece of news was dropped as it was believed Martin was working on a way out of his two-year deal with Aprilia after only a single year.
It then became apparent that he was supposedly in discussions with Honda to try and secure a move to their factory team for 2026.
Although Aprilia have denied that any conversations have taken place between them and Martin, the rumours and speculation have continued.
Honda HRC Castrol Team Manager, Alberto Puig, has confirmed that Honda is 'interested' in Martin, but will not approach a rider who has an 'ongoing contract with someone'.
“There are possibilities, there are rumours in the paddock and still we need to see what happens,” Puig told the MotoGP world feed about its 2026 factory vacancy.
“Honda is a company that wants riders who want to come and race for us.
“This is priority number one. This is a period where we are still waiting and checking what the possibilities are. But at this moment, I would lie to you if I said we have a clear plan on what to do.”
When asked if Aprilia’s statement was aimed at Honda, Puig replied: “I don’t think so.
“Of course, not only Honda, but I think all the teams in the paddock are interested in a rider like Martin - he’s a world champion.
“If you are not interested, you are an idiot. But we would never try to get a rider that has an ongoing contract with someone.
“Everybody knows this and this is not Honda’s style. We would never go into a problem like this. But if you ask me if we have an interest in Jorge Martin as a rider, of course.
“It’s normal. We are interested in fast riders. If we was available, he is one of the riders to consider clearly.”
