Martín fights back: in Qatar he tries to keep the title battle open until Valencia

Jorge Martín arrives at the Qatar GP with a clear goal: not to end the title fight before Valencia. The 2024 world champion, still dealing with the non-displaced fracture of the right distal radius suffered at Phillip Island, will undergo a medical check-up on Friday morning and is scheduled for FP1. In Lusail, meanwhile, Marc Márquez can already wrap up the World Championship if he gains 30 points on his rival, with 37 still available over the entire weekend.

For Martín it is another delicate step after the failed attempt in Malaysia. At Sepang he had been given the all-clear by the doctors, but he stopped after a few laps between Friday and Saturday practice, without reaching Q1. The trip to Qatar came after days of work at home, with the aim of arriving in better condition and checking on track how much the recovery really allows him to push.

Martín's words

Speaking to Motorsport.com, Martín explained that he feels he is recovering and that he used the last few days to arrive in the best possible shape. «I'm better. I have worked a lot these days to arrive in the best possible condition», the Aprilia rider told Motorsport.com. He then added that the weekend will be used to understand how much the physical situation will allow him to work on the bike and how far he can go on track.

Compared with the trip to Sepang, the Spanish rider sees wider margins. «Yes, much more», he replied to Motorsport.com when asked whether he had more hope in Lusail. For him, the decision to stop in Malaysia was the most sensible one, so as not to force the recovery times and to avoid compromising his recovery.

The message, however, remains the same: Martín wants to stay in contention in the title fight until the final round. «My goal is not to delay Márquez's title, but to take the fight to Valencia», the Aprilia rider told Motorsport.com.