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Factory Aprilia rider Jorge Martin has stated he has no intention of withdrawing from the Malaysian Grand Prix, despite anticipating that riding with a broken hand will be exceptionally difficult and painful.
The Spaniard underwent an intensive rehabilitation program with his physiotherapist following a heavy crash at the previous round in Australia, where he suffered a fracture to the radius in his right arm. Martin cleared his first hurdle on Thursday after MotoGP Medical Director Dr Angel Charte gave him the green light to participate in Free Practice 1. However, to be cleared for the races at Sepang, he must undergo further medical checks on Friday.
Arriving at the circuit wearing a brace on his right wrist, the rider openly admitted he is far from fully recovered, revealing that he is currently unable to even brush his teeth with his injured hand. Nevertheless, Martin stressed he must at least try to ride this weekend to keep his title hopes alive against Ducati's Marc Marquez.
"I feel okay, obviously. It could be worse, but it could also be better. We'll see what kind of shape I'm in and how it feels on the bike, and then we'll decide whether to continue our participation in the weekend or not. The only certainty is that my wrist is broken. I'll try to ride like this, although it's definitely going to be very hard and painful," the Spaniard said.
"I have to try because I'm fighting for the championship. Otherwise, I would just stay at home in a cast for a full month. We'll see how much the injury limits me on track. It's on my right hand, which controls the throttle and the brake, and this track has a lot of right-hand corners. So the overall picture isn't ideal at all, but we'll find out tomorrow. I'm still brushing my teeth with my left hand and can barely do anything with my right, but maybe I'll be able to ride. I'm neither overly optimistic nor pessimistic. Just five days later, I'm already here with a chance to get out on track, which in itself is crazy. I've done every possible treatment this week to be in the best possible shape, and now we'll see how far I can go."
Martin remains Aprilia's primary hope for the riders' championship, but following his crash in the Phillip Island sprint, he sits ten points behind Marquez in the overall standings. Given his physical condition, there is a serious risk that the gap to the Ducati rider could widen even further, even if the Spaniard is cleared to race.
Martin insisted, however, that his focus is purely on his physical condition rather than championship points:
"I'm focused solely on getting on the bike. I'm not thinking about the championship, or Saturday or Sunday. All my thoughts are on tomorrow—trying to ride, and then I'll think about the next step. Right now, I don't feel entirely confident that I'll be able to race, but anything is possible, and with every passing day I feel a significant improvement. Maybe tomorrow won't feel great, but Saturday might be better. Bones take time to heal and I just need to give it a few days."
In Australia, Marquez and Martin engaged in a fierce battle for the sprint win, trading the lead several times before the Aprilia rider crashed out on lap eight. After the race, Marquez suggested his compatriot had been faster but made a mistake because he was riding beyond the limit of his bike.
Martin, however, disagreed with that assessment:
"That's not true, my bike was shaking a lot during the race. I don't know what caused it, but right from the warm-up lap I felt heavy vibrations and tried to adapt. I was enjoying the battle. I did make a mistake because I was slightly too far to the left and crashed, but I definitely don't think I was overpushing the bike."
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