Jorge Martin has been declared fit to take part in Free Practice 1 at the Qatar Grand Prix on Friday, giving the Aprilia rider a chance of prolonging his world championship hopes.
Championship Hopes and Injury Comeback
Martin broke his wrist at last month’s Australian Grand Prix and the ongoing pain forced him to pull out of an attempt to race at the Malaysian Grand Prix last weekend. Following a brief return to Spain after the Malaysian event, Martin will have another stab at competing at Losail this weekend. But participation beyond FP1 will be subject to a MotoGP medical assessment.
With three race weekends remaining, Martin’s hopes of stopping Marc Marquez from claiming an eighth MotoGP title are slim. He faces a 44-point deficit coming into the Qatar weekend, and Marc could seal the championship if he stretches his advantage by 30 points by the end of Sunday’s action.
Other Riders Cleared and Lineup Changes
Meanwhile, two other Spaniards have been cleared to take part in the entire weekend at Losail. Gresini Ducati’s Fermin Aldeguer will return to MotoGP action after breaking his hand in Indonesia, while Trackhouse Aprilia rider Raul Fernandez will make another attempt to complete a full weekend following his finger injury at the same race. Both Fernandez and Aldeguer have been in the injury wars this year, with Fernandez having pulled out of both the Australian and Malaysian events after limited running.
A team statement summed up the situation as follows: “Raul Fernandez has completed the medical assessment on his right index finger which was fractured in the Indonesia Sprint race, conducted by the Championship medical team, at Lusail International Circuit and has been declared fit to ride at the Grand Prix of Qatar.”
Not present in the Gresini pit will be Fernandez’s team-mate, Alex Marquez, who has taken the opportunity to undergo surgery on the right collarbone he broke at Barcelona in May. Iker Lecuona, who stood in for Aldeguer in Australia and Malaysia, will thus switch to the other side of the garage to take the reins of Marquez’s Ducati.
