Jorge Martin just said something alarming about crash injuries, ‘we still don’t quite know…’

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Jorge Martin is seemingly on course to make his first appearance of the 2025 season at the Grand Prix of Qatar next weekend. The MotoGP world champion has missed the first three rounds through injury.

Martin suffered two serious accidents during the winter, the first of which came on the first day of the Sepang Test. Having returned to Europe for surgery, he was ruled out for the remainder of pre-season.

Aprilia’s new blockbuster signing then tried to gauge his strength on a supermoto bike in the lead-up to the season-opener in Thailand, only to fall again. This time, his injuries were even more severe.

But the Spaniard was finally back in the paddock at the Americas Grand Prix last weekend and is closer than ever to a return. Lorenzo Savadori has been riding in his stead and scored his first point of the season in Austin with a P15.

Jorge Martin admits rib injury is still a mystery as Aprilia debut looms

In an interview with Motorsport Espana, Martin was asked whether the crash at the Lleida circuit was the worst of his career to date. He had to undergo multiple surgeries in 2021 after an accident in Portugal where he absorbed several 20G+ impacts.

“Probably so,” he said. “The one in Portimao is very present in my mind, but this one was even more violent, very ugly.”

Martin fractured the ‘particularly troublesome’ scaphoid, adding to the need for cauton. But he also admitted that one injury to his rib is still a mystery.

That’s an alarming statement to make so close to a potential return. Martin has been denied a test, with Aprilia unable to get the other manufacturers on side for a mid-season rule change, and so he won’t know how much the problem is going to affect him until he takes to the Lusail track.

“It also caused me complicated fractures, which is what bothered me the most,” he said. “There were three fractures in my hand, four in my foot, and something in my rib that we still don’t quite know what it is.”

Until a problem has been properly diagnosed, it may not receive the necessary treatment. Martin has already accepted that he won’t be at his best after a two-month absence.

“I’m confident it will be in Qatar,” he said. “But it’s also true that when I return, I won’t be 100%.

“Given the situation I’m in, with a new bike, what I need to do is put in the miles. The most important thing is that when I get back on the bike, my physical condition allows me to ride.”

Kevin Schwantz has estimated how long Jorge Martin will need to reach 100% – it’s shocking

Martin has learned from Marc Marquez in his recovery process, according to Randy Mamola. The Ducati rider came back ‘way too early’ from a broken arm in 2020 and it ‘nearly destroyed his career’.

An open and honest Martin admitted he’d had major doubts in the days and weeks after his second crash. There were moments where he was unsure if he’d ever reach his championship-winning level again.

That’s an insight into the psychological impact of this lay-off, compounding physical damage. Martin never expected to win the 2025 title but Kevin Schwantz’s timeline for a full recovery is alarming.

MotoGP legend Schwantz thinks Martin could need nine races to reach his best. If he’s right, that would mean that Aprilia can’t maximise their potential until the second half of the season.