MARTIN RIDES IN QATAR WITH HIS WRIST STILL FRACTURED

Jorge Martin has been passed fit to ride in Friday’s opening practice at the Qatar Grand Prix, giving the injured Aprilia rider an opportunity to keep his MotoGP title hopes alive. He received the green light after a medical review at Lusail. FP1 offered an encouraging first test: Martin completed 15 laps and finished fifth, 0.734 seconds behind session leader Marc Marquez. He managed five consecutive laps during his second run, compared with only two flying laps in a row at Sepang.

Martin arrived still recovering from a fractured right wrist sustained in a Sprint crash at Phillip Island two weeks ago. After withdrawing from the Malaysian Grand Prix, he returned to Spain for intensive physiotherapy. “The fracture is still there, but the feeling is much better,” he said on Thursday. He added that his condition would need to be reassessed after FP1.

Aprilia team manager Paolo Bonora said Martin’s situation appeared improved, but urged caution. Martin was coping better with changes of direction than at Sepang, Bonora said, while still struggling in heavy braking zones. Lusail has relatively few places where riders need to push hard on the brakes, but Aprilia is monitoring him carefully. Martin will continue to take the weekend session by session.

The stakes are clear. Martin must score at least eight points in Qatar to keep the title decision alive until Portimao, assuming Marquez wins both races. Aprilia is determined to keep fighting while the numbers allow. “We will never give up,” Bonora said. The team wants to keep the championship open, but is staying realistic about Martin’s physical condition and has no expectations for the weekend. Martin’s aim is to score as many points as possible and delay the title decision: “Anything can happen in this sport, and we will try our best.”