A slip gives Jorge Martin a scare – but Aprilia cites a different reason for the early end to practice at Sepang
For Jorge Martin, the day’s practice at the Malaysian Grand Prix on the Sepang International Circuit got off to a promising start. In the first practice session, he managed to complete twelve laps despite his broken right wrist.
Although the Aprilia rider finished only 20th, 1.8 seconds off the pace, MotoGP chief medical officer Dr Angel Charte gave him the all-clear for the rest of the weekend.
After the morning practice session, the signs were therefore initially more positive than expected. “Yes, it’s certainly not easy,” said team manager Paolo Bonora in an interview with MotoGP.com during the first practice session.
“Jorge told us quite clearly: ‘Step by step, guys, we need to work out how to manage the pain.’ “This morning it was all about the bandage, and he’s taken a few anti-inflammatories and painkillers.”
“But it wasn’t too many, so he could get a better feel for how well he’s in control of the bike. He made it clear that he’d imagined it would be worse. But the crux of the matter now is to wait and see what happens after several laps.”
“He’ll probably manage two or three laps, but after that it’ll be extremely difficult.” His total of twelve laps in the morning were spread over several short runs. However, there were no longer runs in the afternoon practice session.
What role did the slide in Turn 12 play?
At the start of the afternoon session, he took to the track on soft tyres at both the front and rear. After the warm-up lap, Martin completed a timed lap that was already faster than his morning time.
On the next lap, he had a slip in left-hand Turn 12. He managed to prevent a crash by bracing himself with his left elbow. Martin then returned to the pits and left via the rear exit with Charte.
He did not return to the track afterwards. “Yes, together with the doctors, we decided not to continue, to give him the time he needs and to wait until tomorrow morning,” explained Bonora on MotoGP.com.
THAT WAS CLOSE 😱
@88jorgemartin has a BIG moment and that’s not what he needed 🫢
# MalaysianGP 🇲🇾 https://t.co/OYWgg1o283
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) 30 October 2026
“Because, yes, if he were to go for a lap time right now and set a flying lap, he’d find it hard to muster the necessary strength. So it’s definitely better not to take any risks.”
Did the slip at Turn 12 play a part in this decision? “No, not at all,” says Bonora. “We’re looking at this very objectively, essentially based purely on his medical condition.”
“So it has nothing to do with that dicey situation; we made the decision solely on the basis of the medical check.” On Friday afternoon, Martin cancelled all his interview slots.
On Saturday morning, a decision will be made as to whether he can ride in the half-hour practice session. As he finished last in the time-qualifying afternoon practice session with his sole lap time, Martin must start in Q1 for qualifying.
The best Aprilia rider in Friday’s practice was Ai Ogura in third place. The Trackhouse rider was 0.167 seconds behind Marc Marquez (Ducati). Marco Bezzecchi finished sixth, just under half a second behind.
Raul Fernandez was declared unfit to race after just his first run in the morning practice session. His broken right index finger continues to cause problems. The Trackhouse rider is now set to travel to Spain to speed up his recovery.