MotoGP world champion Jorge Martin believes Aprilia has made the "biggest" leap in recent years with its 2025 prototype.
Martin is joining Aprilia next year after clinching his first title with a Pramac Ducati, the Spaniard having been snubbed for a promotion to the factory team in favour of Marc Marquez.
Madrid native Martin got his first taste of the Aprilia in the post-season test at Barcelona and completed 77 laps during the test, finishing a second behind pacesetter Alex Marquez.
Although his contractual situation means he is not allowed to speak in detail about the bike until the start of next year, Martin acknowledged that the Noale-based manufacturer had taken a significant step forward with the prototype that he and Marco Bezzecchi will ride in 2025.
"I can't say much about the bike, but the look on my face was seen by all of you who were there," Martin told Autosport. "I was happy, and I don't think I could be happier than at Aprilia anywhere else.
"I think the new package is very interesting, and the jump the bike has made is the biggest in recent years. The potential is high and it looks very good."
The bike used on the test day at Barcelona was an early version of the one that will be taken to Sepang for the pre-season tests at the beginning of February.
Aprilia's hiring of the world champion is the culmination of an internal restructuring the Italian manufacturer has gone through in all areas.
The intention of the shake-up is to reduce the gap between Aprilia and Ducati, the world champion for the last three years and one of the most dominant bikes ever, with 19 wins out of a possible 20 in 2024.
"Aprilia has the commitment and I have seen that first-hand," Martin added. "I have noticed how they love me and what they will do for me. But they feel the responsibility of having the champion.
"We all want to win, but in order to do that we have to apply a strategy and a proper work dynamic."
When asked to offer a verdict on Aprilia's performance slump in the second half of the 2024 season, a recurrent issue in recent years, Martin admitted he didn't have a clear answer either.
"This year Aprilia started better than ever, but it's true that from Aragon onwards it started to go down," he said. "It's very complicated to know what happens when you are on the outside.
"It's very difficult to understand how you can win in Austin coming from behind, as Maverick did, and in Jerez, immediately after, finish more than 11 seconds behind."
