MARTIN UNSURE HOW HIS INJURED WRIST WILL HOLD UP IN QATAR

Jorge Martin heads to the Qatar Grand Prix uncertain whether his injured body can withstand a full MotoGP weekend, just days after he withdrew from the Malaysian round. The Spaniard fractured his right wrist in a high-speed crash during the Australian Grand Prix Sprint, while battling Marc Marquez for victory. He broke his wrist in Australia and, despite returning to his Aprilia in Sepang, managed only Friday practice before pulling out on Saturday.

Aprilia confirmed on Wednesday that Martin will travel to Qatar to try to race, although he has not recovered from a fracture to the radius in his right arm. Martin is attempting another comeback at Lusail while he still has a mathematical chance of winning the championship. Marc Marquez could clinch the title this weekend, but Martin says simply trying to ride in Malaysia was significant. “It was a shame not to be able to carry on with the weekend at Sepang,” he said, adding that “just having the chance to try was an achievement in itself.”

After Malaysia, Martin returned to Spain to continue treatment and prepare for Qatar. He will assess his condition once he is back on the bike, rather than setting expectations about finishing or scoring points. “Now we’ll see how the body responds and start working with Aprilia from this Thursday to see how far we can go,” he said.

Aprilia team-mate Marco Bezzecchi also arrives looking to recover from a disappointing Malaysian Grand Prix. He took third in the Sprint, but finished sixth on Sunday after a last-lap mistake, having struggled to match several rivals. Bezzecchi said he was “keen to put that right” in Qatar.

The Italian is encouraged by the venue, which he says is a circuit he likes. His aim is to make a stronger start to the weekend and secure the best possible result before the championship returns to Europe. “We’ll aim to get it right from the start, put together a good weekend and finish as well as we can,” Bezzecchi said.