Jorge Martin in Doubt for Sepang After Practice Pain

Aprilia Racing rider Jorge Martin faces an uncertain weekend at the Malaysian Grand Prix after pain forced him to withdraw early from Friday afternoon practice at Sepang.

The 28-year-old Spanish rider completed just three laps in the crucial afternoon Practice session before returning to the pit lane. After consulting with MotoGP medical personnel, the decision was made to stop running for the remainder of the day.

Martin will undergo another medical check on Saturday morning before Free Practice 2 to decide whether he can continue competing this weekend.

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Why was Jorge Martin struggling on track?

Martin arrived in Malaysia carrying an injury from the previous round at Phillip Island on 24 October. During that event, he fractured his forearm in a crash during the Sprint, which ruled him out of Sunday’s Grand Prix.

After undergoing medical checks on Thursday and again following Friday morning’s Free Practice 1, doctors originally cleared Martin to ride. The 2018 Moto3 and 2024 MotoGP world champion completed 12 laps in that morning session, finishing 20th on the timing sheets.

However, the afternoon Practice session places much greater demands on the body. Riders must push for single fast laps to earn automatic entry into the final stage of qualifying, which puts extreme stress on a rider’s arms and wrists under heavy braking.

After only three laps in the afternoon, the physical discomfort proved too severe. Martin pulled into his garage and spoke with MotoGP medical director Dr Angel Charte, mutually agreeing that continuing the session was unsafe.

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What does this mean for the championship battle?

This setback arrives at a critical moment in the season. Martin is the closest challenger for the 2026 crown, trailing championship leader Marc Marquez by just 10 points with four rounds remaining.

Marquez, the reigning MotoGP world champion riding for the Ducati Lenovo Team, topped Friday’s practice times despite suffering a minor fall. If Martin is unable to ride on Saturday and Sunday, Marquez could extend his lead significantly.

A full Grand Prix weekend awards points across two separate events: a shorter Saturday race and the main Grand Prix on Sunday. You can read our beginner guide explaining what a MotoGP Sprint race is to see how those points are awarded.

Missing both races would leave Martin empty-handed, handing a huge mathematical advantage to Marquez with only three rounds left after Malaysia.

What happens next on Saturday morning?

Before Martin can take any further part in the Malaysian Grand Prix, he must receive official medical clearance on Saturday morning. Doctors will examine his arm to assess inflammation and test whether he has sufficient grip strength to handle the motorcycle safely.

If doctors declare him fit and he chooses to ride, Martin will face an uphill task on track. Because he completed only three laps on Friday afternoon, he finished at the bottom of the Practice timing sheets.

In modern MotoGP, the top 10 riders from Friday afternoon Practice go straight into the decisive second qualifying session (Q2). Everyone else must take part in Qualifying 1 (Q1), where only the fastest two riders advance. To learn more about this format, check out our guide on how qualifying works.

Starting from Q1 means Martin would need to ride through pain simply to fight for a competitive grid position for both races.

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Why is Sepang such a difficult circuit for injured riders?

The Petronas Sepang International Circuit is widely regarded as one of the most physically demanding tracks on the MotoGP calendar. Tropical heat and high humidity push riders to their absolute physical limits across long race distances.

Beyond the intense weather, Sepang features two long straights that end in violent braking zones. At Turn 1 and Turn 15, riders must brake hard from speeds exceeding 320 km/h (nearly 200 mph), supporting huge amounts of body weight through their arms and wrists. For a full breakdown of the venue, take a look at our Sepang track guide.

For a rider managing a recently fractured forearm, absorbing those braking forces lap after lap is an extraordinary challenge. Aprilia and Martin will weigh the risks carefully on Saturday morning before making a final call.

Quick Takeaways

• Title contender Jorge Martin ended Friday practice early at Sepang after completing just three laps due to forearm pain.
• The injury stems from a fracture sustained during a crash at Phillip Island six days earlier.
• Martin must pass a medical examination on Saturday morning to determine if he can race this weekend.
• Championship leader Marc Marquez topped Friday practice and could extend his 10-point lead if Martin sits out.
• If cleared to ride, Martin will have to start qualifying from Q1 after setting no representative lap time on Friday afternoon.