Reigning MotoGP World Champion Jorge Martin will miss this the first three Grand Prix rounds, and possibly Qatar, too, due to injuries sustained during the preseason.
UPDATE March 13: Martin confirms he won’t race at the Americas GP
“Here I’m really suffering, it’s not my moment. I’m struggling to recover as fast as I’d like. I can say from here I won’t be in Austin, I would like to be there but I won’t be racing, and I don’t know if I can do in Qatar—I don’t know yet, it’s still really early for sure.
“I’d like to make some sort of test before coming back to racing because I’m not feeling really good, and I know Massimo is working on that. So let’s see if we can make it possible.”
“It’s hard to watch from home, I’ll follow this weekend really closely. I’m cheering for Aprilia, hopefully they can improve a bit more and be closer to that podium. For sure, it’s a bit boring without me on track… but I hope these guys can put on a big show this weekend. I’ll watch from home and I’m sure I’ll enjoy the race!”
UPDATE February 27: Aprilia Racing CEO Massimo Rivola confirmed to media in Thailand that the Spaniard’s wrist and scaphoid need more recovery time before he will be able to race, and he will sit out the second round in Argentina. View Rivola’s statement HERE.
Martin’s 2025 season has already been challenging, beginning with a heavy crash on the first day of the Sepang test. He suffered multiple fractures and was forced to sit out the rest of pre-season after undergoing surgery just days later. He has thus only completed 90 laps of preseason testing on his RS-GP machine that includes laps from the Barcelona test last November.
Aprilia had been hopeful that Martin would recover in time for the season opener in Buriram this weekend. However, those plans have been derailed after he fractured his left hand while training on Monday, just before his departure for Thailand.
“Jorge Martin suffered a complex fracture of the radius, some carpal bones on the left side and an ipsilateral calcaneal fracture during a training session,” a short statement from Aprilia read. “After a surgical consultation, it was decided to proceed with surgery, which will take place tomorrow at the Dexeus Clinic in Barcelona to stabilize the fractures of the radius and the left scaphoid.
“Martin will miss the Thailand Grand Prix and recovery times will be determined after the surgery. Lorenzo Savadori will replace Martin in Thailand.”
Martin’s absence at the opening round of the 2025 season marks the first time a reigning champion has missed the start of the following campaign since Freddie Spencer in 1984.
Last year, Martin made history by becoming the first rider in the four-stroke MotoGP era to win the world title with an independent team with Prima Pramac Racing on a Ducati.
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