Jorge Martin breathed a sigh of relief after Friday practice for the Austrian MotoGP at the Red Bull Ring, revealing his right arm felt much better than he had feared. The Aprilia rider called it a welcome surprise amid a tense title fight.
Martin arrived in Austria with a big question mark: would he need surgery after suffering arm pump at Misano? He and Marc Marquez are tied at the top of the championship, making every point crucial. But Friday offered a positive sign.
“Good,” Martin said of the arm. “Honestly, it was a big surprise. For sure, everything that I did during the week was working well, and I feel much better.”
He set the fifth-fastest lap, just 0.222s behind Pedro Acosta, who dominated both sessions. Martin reported no repeat of the Misano woes, allowing him to focus on bike setup.
“I hope that I can continue riding at my 100%, and today I was able to do that. So it was more about finding the setup, working with the bike, and I was able to work without thinking about it,” he added.
However, he remains uncertain about surgery next week. If he goes under the knife, he would have a maximum of ten days to recover before free practice at the Japanese MotoGP. “You never know when it's a surgery. That's why I'm a bit scared about going into surgery,” he admitted. “Because everything can be good and maybe after one week I can be on a bike. But it can be bad, and then I don't have good memories from the past. So I have to be clever and intelligent with this decision.”
Until the arm pump struck last Sunday, Martin had been able to overtake Marquez and lead the Misano race. Now, in Austria, he looked competitive with solid pace. “I feel good. I feel in terms of pace I am in the pack - one of the strongest without Pedro. He seems super strong, a super fast lap, and super fast pace,” he said. “But I feel quite strong. I was able to do really long runs, trying to be constant, and I feel good. I know where to improve, so if we do this small step it can help me around all the track, and I can close that gap. So I feel much stronger than for sure than last season, and able to do what I want with the bike.”
His teammate, Marco Bezzecchi, was ninth fastest. This result gives Martin valuable momentum ahead of the Sprint and main race, as he aims to keep his title hopes alive without physical distractions.
Baca Juga
Marco Bezzecchi nyaris gagal ke Q2 MotoGP Austria 2026 setelah kesalahan usai red flag. Simak analisis lengkap dan komentarnya.
Brad Binder bangkit di MotoGP Austria 2026 dengan langsung lolos Q2, sementara Pedro Acosta mendominasi kedua sesi latihan di Red Bull Ring.
MotoGP berencana menerapkan dua sesi kualifikasi per akhir pekan mulai musim depan, meniru format F1. Sprint dan grand prix akan punya kualifikasi terpisah.
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