Marc Marquez has firmly refused to draw parallels between Jorge Martin's risky decision to race at the Malaysian Grand Prix and his own ill-fated comeback at Jerez six years ago. The Ducati star insisted that he cannot judge the exact risks his injured title rival is taking during this high-stakes race weekend.
Martin's determined push to race at Sepang comes less than a week after breaking the radius of his right arm in a heavy crash at Phillip Island. The Aprilia rider managed to complete 12 laps in FP1 before finishing 20th and 1.8 seconds off the pace, later cutting short his Friday afternoon session after just three laps to conserve vital energy.
Six years prior, Marquez attempted a similarly aggressive return a week after breaking his right arm during the Spanish GP season opener, following swift surgery between the back-to-back Jerez rounds. That hasty decision proved catastrophic as it aggravated the injury, requiring three subsequent operations over the following years to regain full fitness.
Despite the haunting memories of his own ordeal, the multiple-time world champion refused to judge his compatriot's situation from the outside. I will not evaluate, because I don't know exactly what he has, Marquez stated firmly from the paddock.
I don't know if the radius is completely fractured or is a fissure. I don't know, so I don't want to go in on that, he continued. However, he expressed faith in the championship's official medical framework. But I believe in the medical protocol, that if they say that it's fit, the pain is there but the risk is acceptable. But of course, the pain must be there. Martin is a strong guy, but today he was struggling.
Martin had received initial clearance on Thursday before passing a final fitness assessment with MotoGP medical director Dr. Angel Charte following the morning session. Yet, the 2024 champion completed only three laps in the afternoon, surviving a major scare at Turn 12 before retreating safely to the pit lane.
His single flying lap of 1m59.670s left him 21st and last in the depleted practice classification, prompting him to skip media duties to prioritize his physical recuperation. Heading into Saturday's crucial qualifying and sprint races, Martin trails his Ducati rival by 10 points in the championship standings. Read our in-depth analysis and latest championship updates on Sportrik.com.
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