Reigning MotoGP champion Jorge Martin will sit out this week’s Thailand Grand Prix after suffering a fracture during training.
Martin fractured his left hand on Monday, just days before he was due to contest the season's opening round in Buriram. He is now set to undergo an operation on Tuesday.
The Spaniard was already recovering from the injuries he sustained in a horrific highside on the opening day of pre-season testing at Sepang earlier this month. On that occasion, he suffered fractures to his right hand and left foot.
After spending 24 hours under observation for a severe blow to the head, Martin travelled to Barcelona, where he underwent surgery on 7 February by Dr. Xavier Mir.
Martin’s entourage had assured Autosport that he was doing well and preparing to travel to Thailand on Tuesday with the aim of passing the medical examination on Thursday and partaking in first practice the following day.
However, Martin picked up the injury on Monday morning and will need to have an immediate operation.
“Jorge Martin suffered a complex fracture of the radius, some carpal bones on the left side and an ipsilateral calcaneal fracture of the left hand during a training session,” an Aprilia statement read.
“After a surgical consultation, it was decided to proceed with surgery, which will take place tomorrow at the Dexeus Clinic in Barcelona to stabilise the fractures of the radius and the left scaphoid.
“Martin will miss the Thailand Grand Prix and recovery times will be determined after the surgery. Lorenzo Savadori will replace Martin in Thailand.”
It completes a fraught winter break for Martin, who signed a multi-million dollar deal to lead Aprilia’s MotoGP programme after winning the 2024 title on a Pramac Ducati.
Martin got his first chance to sample the Aprilia RS-GP in November's Barcelona test, before completing just a dozen laps at Sepang in February when he was violently thrown off the bike at Turn 2.
Aprilia was willing to let Martin treat the first few rounds of the season as an extension of his test programme, but the injury on Monday has dealt another blow to his 2025 campaign.
