Jorge Martin Reveals He Nearly Missed Qatar GP Amid Fractured Wrist Struggle

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Aprilia’s Jorge Martin kept his 2024 MotoGP world title hopes alive despite battling a fractured right wrist that nearly sidelined him from the Qatar Grand Prix altogether. The reigning champion sustained the injury in a crash during the Phillip Island sprint, forcing him to skip both races at the Malaysian GP. Arriving in Qatar under a cloud of uncertainty, Martin admitted he was “in doubt about coming to Qatar” as late as the Tuesday before the race weekend.

Despite the physical setback, Martin delivered a resilient performance, finishing third in the sprint and seventh in the main race, while Marc Marquez secured second place in the latter. Marquez’s results gave him his first championship match point with a 60-point lead over Martin, but the Ducati rider’s efforts have kept the title fight alive heading into Portugal.

Reflecting on his Qatar weekend, Martin acknowledged the severe pain in his wrist but praised his own determination. “For sure, I feel a lot of pain on my wrist,” he said. “But I think the effort was really, really good. I did my absolute best during all of the weekend.” The Spaniard lamented his qualifying position of 11th, suggesting he could have contended for a podium with a better grid slot.

“Tuesday, I was really in doubt about coming to Qatar or not, and finally I finished the weekend with a podium and a top seven,” Martin explained. “It’s a pity that I qualified so back, because I think maybe qualifying further ahead maybe I could have fought for the top five or the podium. But this is what it is. We go to Portimao just trying to be more competitive.”

Martin described a mental battle in the closing stages of the race, battling fatigue and pain but refusing to give up. “After 12, 13 laps I started to feel like I was going to give up, in terms of pace, and relax a bit. But I saw I was even catching [Enea] Bastianini, [Pedro] Acosta. So, I said, ‘OK, you cannot give up now. Push for the last 20 minutes and then you will rest for one week.’ So, I did my best. Then, for sure, it was four or five laps to go when I had nothing else. I was just on the bike trying to do laps, just trying to finish the race.”

He credited his bike’s performance but admitted his physical condition held him back. “The bike was working well, but I wasn’t quite able to take the maximum out of it. I hope to recover well physically, because I think that was the key this weekend.”

Looking ahead, Martin faces the daunting task of reducing Marquez’s lead to 36 points in Portugal to keep his championship hopes alive through to Valencia. Yet, Martin’s focus is firmly on recovery and enjoying racing at full strength. “I think I will continue doing the same therapies as I was doing until now. I think they were working quite well. For sure, staying some days at home will give me the energy I need to recover and to attack, because, at the moment, I don’t really care about the championship. I just want to be on my 100% and enjoy these last two races with Aprilia, trying to make wins. I don’t really care about the rest.”

Martin’s determination to fight through injury underscores the relentless nature of MotoGP’s title battles and sets the stage for a tense showdown as the season heads into its final chapters.