Aprilia rider Jorge Martin has confessed that he was seriously in doubt about traveling to Qatar as late as last Tuesday due to the severe pain from his fractured right wrist. Despite enduring intense physical limitations, the reigning world champion managed to keep his mathematical title hopes alive heading into the final stages of the 2026 season.
The physical setback originated from a heavy crash during the sprint race at Phillip Island, an incident that forced him to sit out both races at the Malaysian Grand Prix. That absence handed a prime championship match point opportunity to Marc Marquez at the Lusail International Circuit. However, Martin's resilient third-place finish in the Saturday sprint and seventh in the main grand prix ensured the title fight extends to Portugal.
"For sure, I feel a lot of pain on my wrist," Martin explained after the race weekend. "But I think the effort was really, really good. I did my absolute best during all of the weekend. Tuesday, I was really in doubt about coming to Qatar or not, and finally I finished the weekend with a podium and a top seven. So, I am really, really happy with how we handled it."
The Spaniard admitted that missing out on a direct Q2 progression proved costly, as starting from 11th on the grid limited his potential to fight for higher positions. While acknowledging that his pace dropped past the halfway mark of the race due to physical exhaustion, a surge of adrenaline allowed him to chase down rivals and secure valuable championship points.
"I think it was more mental," Martin reflected. "After 12, 13 laps I started to feel like I was going to give up, in terms of pace, and relax a bit. But I saw I was even catching the riders ahead, so I told myself not to give up, push for the final laps, and then rest. Now, my main focus is on recovery. I do not really care about the championship right now; I just want to be at 100 percent for the final races with Aprilia Racing."
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