Martin aborts Sepang Friday: What it means for the MotoGP title fight

• After the first free practice session, Martin was cleared for the entire weekend; he finished 20th, 1.835 seconds off the pace
• In Practice, he stopped after three laps and a slide in Turn 12; a decision on whether he continues will be made on Saturday morning
• Marc Marquez leads the championship with 365 points, ahead of Martin with 355 points

Six days after his crash in the Sprint at Phillip Island, Jorge Martin was back on his Aprilia. The fracture of the radius in his right wrist is not displaced, but it is far from healed. Friday at the Malaysian Grand Prix therefore brought both: a morning that offered hope and an afternoon that clearly showed the limits. For the title fight of the 2026 MotoGP season, this is a delicate situation. Martin is only ten points behind Marc Marquez, and the Ducati rider was the fastest in both sessions at Sepang.

Why did Jorge Martin stop Practice at Sepang?

Martin lacked the strength for a truly fast lap. Aprilia therefore decided together with MotoGP medical director Dr. Angel Charte not to send him back out on track in the afternoon.

Friday afternoon Practice is important for the starting grid. Only the ten fastest riders go straight into the second qualifying session, Q2 for short. For that kind of time attack, however, a rider needs considerably more strength in his right arm than for steady laps. According to team manager Paolo Bonora, that is exactly where the problem lay. He explained that Martin struggles to find the necessary strength as soon as he tries to push for a fast lap time. The team wanted to take absolutely no risks and wait overnight to see how he feels on Saturday morning. Aprilia also said that this gives Martin more time to recover for the rest of the weekend.

The numbers show how short his outing was. Martin completed only three laps. His only valid flying lap was a 1:59.670 on his second lap. That left him in last place at the end, 2.670 seconds behind the fastest time. On the third lap came a scary moment. In the fast left-hander at Turn 12, his front wheel slid away. Martin managed to save the Aprilia, stayed on the bike and ran wide into the asphalt run-off area. Shortly afterwards he headed into the pits, talked with the team and with Charte, and did not return to the track.

How did the first free practice session go for Martin?

The morning went better than many had expected. Martin completed the entire first free practice session, a total of twelve laps over four runs, and was then cleared for the whole weekend.

It did not work entirely without help, though. Martin rode with a bandage on his hand and took painkillers and anti-inflammatory medication. He needed assistance putting on his gloves and helmet. His first lap was still 3.9 seconds slower than Marquez’s best time. After that, he got faster run by run, closing the gap first to 2.3 seconds and, after a short interruption of the session, to 1.8 seconds. In the end he set a 2:00.747. That meant 20th place and a gap of 1.835 seconds to Marquez’s 1:58.912.

After the first run, Bonora reported that Martin had imagined it would be worse. The crucial question, however, was what happens after several laps. On track, Martin did not appear to have any major problems. During the breaks, he talked to his technicians about the bike’s setup, meaning settings such as suspension and electronics. After the session he iced his right wrist and then went out once more to complete the practice starts.

As the clock was running down in the first session, Charte was already in the Aprilia garage to examine the wrist. Less than half an hour after the end of the session, Aprilia announced that Martin was fit to race at the Malaysian Grand Prix. This second examination was a requirement for him to continue riding after the initial clearance on Thursday.

What happens next for Martin on Saturday?

On Saturday morning, Martin, Aprilia and the doctors will decide whether he continues. If he does, he has to go through Q1, because he clearly missed the top ten in Practice.

The schedule leaves little room. The final free practice session starts at 03:10 German time, followed by Q1 at 03:50. The ten-lap Sprint starts at 08:00. By then it must become clear whether the night has helped the wrist.

Martin himself had announced before the weekend that he would decide day by day. He said he would keep trying, even if he did not feel good in one session, until it was clear whether it works or not. At the same time, he did not expect to immediately match his performance from Australia. A broken bone needs its time, and he cannot speed up that process. Without the title fight, Martin said, he would normally have had his arm in a cast for four to five weeks.

The injury hits him in an unfortunate spot. With his right hand he operates the throttle and the front brake. On top of that, by his own assessment Sepang is a track that demands a lot from the right side. Bonora had therefore already set a clear line on Thursday. Under no circumstances should Martin crash on the fracture again. If he is confident he can finish the race safely, he should ride, otherwise not. The team manager also hinted that Martin will probably have to save his strength for the following races rather than for Sepang.

What does Friday mean for the title fight in the 2026 MotoGP season?

The pressure on Martin is growing. If Marquez wins both the Sprint and the Grand Prix at Sepang and Martin scores no points, the gap grows to 47 points, with three race weekends then remaining.

After Malaysia come Qatar from 6 to 8 November, Portimão from 20 to 22 November and the finale in Valencia from 27 to 29 November. Martin himself sees the next two weekends in particular as a problem. He expects to be able to ride normally again in Portimão, while Malaysia and Qatar remain big question marks for him. Still, he does not want to write off the championship. If he is competitive, he still sees himself in the title fight. If not, you can forget about him, he said before the weekend.

At Aprilia, the tone is similar. Bonora admitted that the title has become more difficult, but stressed that the team is not giving up. With four race weekends including Sepang, the championship is still long. Marco Bezzecchi, Martin’s teammate, is 40 points behind him with 315 points and will remain third in the championship after this weekend in any case. He understands Martin’s attempt and said he would do exactly the same in his position.

Marquez, for his part, takes his rival seriously. On Thursday he already pointed to the stricter rules for medical clearances that have existed since his own injury at Jerez in 2020. Anyone declared fit under them can ride, and at a high level, because “adrenaline is the best painkiller”. For the title fight, he said, it is better if Martin is on track.

Marc Marquez dominates Friday, Aprilia loses Raul Fernandez

While Martin battled with his wrist, Marquez set the fastest times. In the first free practice session he was 0.474 seconds ahead of Bezzecchi and Pedro Acosta, who finished second and third with identical times. In Practice he lapped in 1:57.000, despite crashing at the final corner early in the session. The crash happened at low speed; Marquez was unhurt and carried on with his second bike. For his final run he even did without a fresh soft rear tyre. His brother Alex Marquez on the Gresini Ducati came within 0.109 seconds. The best Aprilia rider was Ai Ogura of the Trackhouse team in third place, while Bezzecchi also went straight into Q2 in sixth.

Friday was not easy for anyone. After heavy rain overnight, the asphalt offered very little grip and the bikes looked nervous on track. In the first session, air temperatures of 30 degrees and track temperatures of 36 degrees were measured.

For Aprilia, there was another setback. Raul Fernandez of the Trackhouse team had to end his weekend after the first session. His right index finger, which he broke in his crash in the Indonesian Sprint, did not allow him to ride properly. After an examination by the championship’s medical director, he was declared unfit for the rest of the Grand Prix. Fernandez is travelling to Spain for further treatment and plans to return in Qatar. Aprilia is therefore represented by only three riders at Sepang, and one of them is Martin, whose own participation is still open.

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