MotoGP on tenterhooks: Aprilia awaits verdict on Jorge Martin

Jorge Martin was injured at the crucial moment in this MotoGP season finale. He was locked in a battle with his direct rival for the world title, Marc Marquez, in the Sprint race.

The crash shattered a dream that the Noale-based team had been chasing since the start of the season. Now Aprilia is anxiously waiting to find out whether “Martinator” will be able to take to the track at Sepang. The Spanish rider left Australia on Sunday, flying to Kuala Lumpur ahead of schedule. He is accompanied by his physiotherapist. In the Malaysian capital, they will have access to a rehabilitation center to speed up his recovery.

Bad luck continues to haunt the Madrid-born rider, who won the 2024 MotoGP title with Ducati’s Pramac team. Injuries have prevented him from properly adapting to the RS-GP ever since his first outings on the Veneto-based manufacturer’s prototype. First, a crash during last winter’s Sepang test forced him to miss the opening races. Then a highside in Qatar ruled him out for half the championship. That is why what happened in Australia hit team principal Massimo Rivola particularly hard.

Jorge Martin seemed to have a chance of taking the win. Then, out of nowhere, a bolt from the blue swept away the dreams of the Noale team and its fans at home. "I believe the story between Aprilia and Jorge deserves to end in the best possible way, win or lose, but not with him injured," Rivola said. He is not expecting results from Martin in the final races. The hope is to bring their partnership to a fitting close on the track, perhaps even battling all the way to the final corner in Valencia. "He was putting on a magnificent Sprint and delivering the kind of spectacle Jorge Martin is known for. I believe he had a chance to win; he was faster than Marc."

The problem is that the Spanish rider has rarely managed to get through a weekend without setbacks. Whenever he seems to make progress, a new obstacle appears. This is particularly evident on Fridays, when he has to start working on an RS-GP he still does not know as well as he would like. He needs time to find the best setup, especially given last year’s injury.

The question now is when he will be able to return to action in the MotoGP championship. The first concern arose when the fracture was discovered. Initially, there were fears it was displaced and would require surgery. However, “Martinator” will not need to go under the knife, though that does not mean he will be ready to race in a few days. There are no breaks in the calendar at the moment, and Malaysia is just around the corner. Even so, Aprilia would rather wait and see how his rehabilitation progresses before making a decision.

He will certainly be in the pits; the question is whether he will be able to take to the track. It will be a few days of anxious waiting. "It’s too early to say, and we need to see how things develop over the next few days," Rivola admitted. The cancellation of the race in Australia may work in his favor... Meanwhile, Marc Marquez has surged back to the top of the championship standings, making the task much tougher for the Veneto-based team. "Marc is a top-level strategist. He can figure out where he can bring his brother back into the picture. He’s really good," concluded the former F1 manager.

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