Jorge Martin makes Q2 with a fractured wrist: “I can still feel that it’s broken.”

His wrist is still fractured, the pain hasn’t gone away, and yet Jorge Martin is through to Q2. The Aprilia rider finished Friday’s Practice in Lusail in seventh place, securing direct entry to the second qualifying session. But he makes no secret of how much it took out of him: “I still feel like it’s broken,” he admitted at the end of the day.

The 2024 world champion fractured his wrist in a crash at Phillip Island and had to withdraw from the Malaysian Grand Prix a week ago. Ahead of Qatar, as we reported in Jorge Martin tries again in Qatar: “Now we’ll see how his body responds”, the Spaniard wasn’t sure how his body would react. Friday’s response was better than expected: fifth in FP1, 0.734 seconds behind Marc Marquez, then seventh in the afternoon session that determines who advances to Q2.

Speaking to Motosan, Martin gave an honest assessment. His only regret is that he didn’t feel this way in Sepang, but the priority remains managing his efforts to avoid setbacks. “I feel good, I feel better. Honestly, I wish I’d had this feeling in Malaysia, because things would have been different, but it is what it is. I know I still have to manage my effort. I’m not at 100%. I still feel like it’s broken, and I still feel pain, but I can definitely manage it.”

The biggest improvement compared with the past few days is that he can now string more consecutive laps together. The toughest moment is still the time attack, when he has to push to the limit: “I can do a couple of laps in a row. Maybe the time attack is when I feel worst, because that’s when I feel the most pain,” he explained.

Martin described a Friday on an upward trajectory. His hand felt all right in the morning, but he was lacking something on corner entry after losing confidence in the wake of his crash in Australia. His feeling improved lap after lap, culminating in what he considers his fastest-ever lap in Qatar. For now, the secret is adrenaline: “I have so much of it that even when the pain is excruciating, I don’t care and just keep going.”

The real limitation isn’t pace, but strength. The Spaniard’s riding style, with its extreme positions on the bike, is affected, and everything becomes a little slower. “The biggest problem right now is the time attack and strength: this morning I could barely even brake,” he said. In the race, however, he expects to suffer less and manage the situation, perhaps with a few more painkillers.

Martin knows the consequences could catch up with him in the coming hours. He says his wrist will swell up like a tennis ball. The Spaniard admits that the long race is an unknown, because he has never completed so many laps in a row. Qualifying will show whether Friday’s improvement holds up; Sunday will reveal whether his wrist can withstand the full distance.

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