Marco Bezzecchi
Jorge Martin is facing multiple months on the sidelines after sustaining another injury on his MotoGP comeback at the Qatar Grand Prix. Martin punctured his lung and broke several ribs in the latest incident.
The 2024 world champion missed the first three races of the season after a supermoto crash just before Thailand. He finally made his Aprilia debut at Lusail and was impressively close to teammate Marco Bezzecchi given his sub-optimal condition and mileage deficit.
However, 14 laps into the race, Martin lost control on the exit of turn 12 and fell. That alone may not have resulted in injury, but VR46 rider Fabio di Giannantonio was right behind, and he collided with the stricken Spaniard.
After receiving trackside treatment, Martin was admitted to a nearby hospital, and that’s where he remains. The consensus is that he’ll be out for around three months (likely until after the summer break) in a devastating blow.
Angel Charte recalls his immediate reaction to Jorge Martin crash at Qatar Grand Prix
MotoGP medical chief Angel Charte appeared on El Larguero to discuss Martin’s injury. He praised his ‘spectacular’ recovery from the hand and foot fractures he sustained in February.
Despite Aprilia pushing for a rule change, Martin wasn’t allowed to test a MotoGP bike before his return. While he received approval from Charte and his team, he wasn’t sure whether he’d be able to complete the weekend.
It was a successful comeback until a rather innocuous incident that had serious consequences. Charte quickly realised that ‘something strange’ had happened beyond just a fall.
“Jorge Martin was coming back from a serious injury like the scaphoid,” he said. “He recovered spectacularly, as it’s not an easy injury to heal due to its poor vascularisation.
“In Qatar, he passed the control we subjected him to, but he was unlucky. On the kerb, he had a small problem fixing the wheel and fell to the ground.
“Behind him came Di Giannantonio, who ran over him on the short right lateral side. Jorge remained half crouched because he has to get up at that moment to avoid declaring a red flag, but from race direction we realised that something strange was happening.”
Fabio di Giannantonio’s sporting gesture after Jorge Martin contact in Qatar
Former rider Mat Oxley wants MotoGP tracks changed in light of Martin’s accident. He likened some of the kerbs to ‘corrugated iron’.
There was clearly a significant element of misfortune about these injuries, but perhaps the series can also learn from them. Martin joins Pramac’s Miguel Oliveira on the sidelines, with Lorenzo Savadori set to replace him once again.
Di Giannantonio was understandably ‘traumatised’ after the incident, particularly because he didn’t have an update on Martin’s condition. After the race, he went straight to Aprilia, rather than his own team VR46, to check on his condition.
MotoGP fans are furious that the Qatar GP wasn’t red-flagged while Martin received attention. The camera angle potentially made it look like he was much closer to the track, but this was clearly a risk from race direction.
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