JORGE MARTIN WITHDRAWS FROM MALAYSIAN GP AND SAYS TITLE HOPES ARE LOST

Jorge Martin has withdrawn from the Malaysian Grand Prix, ending his attempt to race at Sepang with a wrist injury sustained at Phillip Island a week earlier. The factory Aprilia rider fractured the radius bone in his right wrist during the Phillip Island sprint. After sitting out Friday afternoon’s practice, he returned to the track on Saturday morning, but completed only three timed laps before leaving the Aprilia pits. He had been last of the 21 riders on the timesheets in final practice. Aprilia confirmed his withdrawal during the opening minutes of qualifying.

Martin said the risk of continuing outweighed what he could achieve on track. “Yesterday already was really tough, but at least I saw that if I push, I was going to be fast,” he told TNT Sports. On Saturday, however, “the risk I was taking was too much for the efficiency I had on the track. I mean, I wasn't fast enough to take the risk.” He added that he did not have enough control or strength in his injured hand and did not want to risk a serious crash. “So I decided that the best option was to stop.”

Speaking about the injury, Martin said the main problem was not pain but a lack of firmness when braking. “I tried my best, but the healing process needs time, even though it’s going fast,” he said. He added that he had managed to ride a MotoGP bike at Sepang with a broken wrist and lap in under two minutes, calling that “incredible.”

Aprilia team manager Paolo Bonora said Martin’s feeling had improved compared with Friday, but he lacked the strength to brake forcefully. “We decided altogether not to continue, and keep focus on the Doha GP,” Bonora said. Martin plans to return to Spain and work on his recovery before the next round. “I’m going home today, because that way I can start my recovery tomorrow,” he said. He intends to rest and undergo therapy during the week, aiming to try to race in Qatar. If his recovery continues at its current pace, he believes he could arrive at “80%.”

Martin has conceded his 2026 MotoGP title chances are “already lost”, though he remains determined to fight until the end of the season. He is ten points behind reigning champion Marc Marquez, who could extend that advantage to 47 points by winning both races at Sepang. Martin expects Marquez to score the maximum 37 points at the Malaysian round, but said: “It’s more about trying to fight until the end, not only for me or the championship, for my people, for my team.” He added: “I will try to show the people that I will fight until the end.” Martin acknowledged that the championship remains mathematically possible, but said he should not be thinking about it now. “Maybe I can win it, but for me, it’s already lost.”

Marquez qualified second, behind his younger brother Alex. He said Martin had attempted something difficult and that his decision to stop showed he was in considerable pain, wishing him “a good recovery and rehabilitation.” Marquez said his own focus was on his performance: “We concentrate on ourselves, and we did our maximum, but just Alex was faster than us.” He described his qualifying effort as “a very good lap” and said the target had been the front row, while wishing Martin “a fast recovery.”

Marco Bezzecchi qualified fifth. He is 40 points behind Aprilia team-mate Martin, meaning he cannot pass the absent Spaniard in the standings this weekend, even if he scores the maximum points.