Does MotoGP need an F1-style contract board, amid Martin/Aprilia saga?

Leading MotoGP riders including Marc Marquez have said there is no need for the kind of contract arbitration authority seen in Formula 1.

The topic has surfaced in the light of Jorge Martin’s attempts to get out of his current Aprilia contract early – a deal the Italian factory claimed on Thursday was “valid and in effect” until the end of the 2026 season.

F1 has had a Contract Recognition Board (CRB) ever since the 1991 dispute around Michael Schumacher’s switch from Jordan to Benetton. Most recently, it was pivotal in Oscar Piastri making his debut for McLaren rather than Alpine ahead of the 2023 season.

But MotoGP world championship leader Marquez said on Thursday that despite the furore around Aprilia and Martin, contractual protection required nothing more than working with the right people.

“For me, if you have a professional team around you – meaning [your] manager and the team – you are protected enough,” said the six-time MotoGP champion in the press conference ahead of this weekend’s British Grand Prix.

Marc Marquez, Ducati Team

Photo by: Ducati Corse

Surprise French GP winner Johann Zarco then went one step further, backing MotoGP’s relatively old-school approach to contracts. In his comments, he appeared to draw a comparison with the F1 CRB.

“Yeah, I agree,” said the Frenchman. “And I’m happy that at the moment in motorcycles, it’s not happening like in Formula 1. So I hope we can keep this kind of [approach] for as long as possible.”

KTM factory rider Pedro Acosta echoed these sentiments, saying: “Yeah, like Marc said, if you have a good team around you and… you know exactly what you signed then, more or less, you have [enough] protection.”

Acosta has been stalked by rumours that he is attempting to find a way out of his current KTM contract and move to Honda for 2026. The young Spaniard shares a manager, Alberto Valera, with Martin.