MARTIN REACHES QATAR SPRINT PODIUM AFTER Q2 QUALIFICATION DESPITE WRIST FRACTURE

Jorge Martin’s Qatar weekend began far better than his recent outing in Sepang, where a fresh fracture to his right wrist forced him to stop riding and return early to Spain. At Losail, the Aprilia rider completed the opening day and secured seventh in Friday’s timed session, earning a direct place in Q2. He had also stayed inside the top 10 throughout both sessions: fifth in practice, 0.7 seconds behind Marc Marquez, then seventh in qualifying practice, 0.6 seconds off Fabio Di Giannantonio. Martin was about half a second behind reigning world champion Marquez.

The result exceeded the target Martin had set for himself, though he was still managing pain and a lack of strength. “It’s a shame I didn’t feel like this in Malaysia,” he said. “It’s much better now. Even though I’m in pain, I can ride and do several laps in a row.” He explained that braking was particularly difficult early on, forcing him to sit up and run wide because he lacked strength. That improved as the session went on, and he hoped to make further gains before the races.

Martin said the biggest limitation came during time attacks, when the wrist problem cost him most. Despite qualifying only 11th after feeling Pedro Acosta had impeded him, he produced a remarkable recovery in Saturday’s sprint. He climbed to sixth by the end of the opening lap and fourth one lap later, then joined Marc Marquez in a fight for the lead. Martin chose a soft rear tyre to help him attack. “The adrenaline helped me push,” he said. “Fighting Marc for the lead was fun, but in the end I didn’t have enough strength to give everything until the finish.”

Fabio Di Giannantonio passed Martin in the penultimate lap, but the Aprilia rider finished on the podium, just two weeks after breaking his right wrist in a sprint-race crash at Phillip Island. “To be on the podium in this race is incredible and like a victory,” he said.

Martin had said before the weekend that simply starting in Qatar was special and that finishing both races was a major goal. He is second in the championship and now the only rider with a chance of stopping Marquez, after Marco Bezzecchi’s crash—following contact with Marquez—ended his title hopes. Martin needs at least one point in Sunday’s Grand Prix to keep his own theoretical championship chance alive.