Jorge Martín, the reigning MotoGP world champion, was absent from this season’s opening three rounds after fracturing his left wrist, left heel and right hand in a training crash. The Aprilia rider finally returned for last weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix but fractured eight ribs and collapsed a lung in a crash during Sunday’s race. It’s not clear when the 27-year-old Spaniard will return to competition. As it stands, Martín has completed a single race with the world champion’s No. 1 on his bike: last Saturday’s sprint race.
Martín was running well outside of podium contention when he went down on the tenth lap of the 22-lap race. He crashed on the outside curb between Turn 12 and Turn 13. The Aprilia rider fell directly in the path of VR46 rider Fabio Di Giannantonio, who did his best to try and avoid the fallen rider. However, the front wheel of the Italian’s Ducati struck Martín in the back. The race surprisingly continued as the world champion received medical attention in Turn 13’s run-off area, just a few feet from the edge of the racing surface. Di Giannantonio told The Race, “I had goosebumps because it was the worst scene of my life, honestly. It was a super bad crash.”
Martín spending the next few days in a hospital bed
Martín was stabilized at the track medical center before being taken to a nearby hospital for a CT scan, where the full extent of his injuries was discovered. Aprilia released an update on its rider’s condition to Motorsport.com:
“An update regarding the rib fractures: eight fractures affect the posterior costal arches from the first to the eighth and there are three fractures observed in the lateral arches from the seventh to the ninth. Minimal pleural swelling is also noted in the context of the known pneumothorax.
Jorge will remain under observation for a few days in Hamad International Hospital until the pneumothorax resolves.”
This isn’t the first time that MotoGP’s reigning champion was struck by another rider during a crash. Ducati’s Pecco Bagnaia had a massive high-side crash during the opening lap of the 2023 Catalan Grand Prix in Barcelona. He landed in the path of Brad Binder’s KTM. The race was immediately red-flagged. The Italian was lucky to escape without any fractures and only sustained multiple contusions. He returned to race in the following round and went on to defend his championship.
A familiar name is currently topping the points standings. Eight-time world champion Marc Márquez won the Qatar Grand Prix by 4.5 seconds, extending his lead to 17 points over his brother Álex Márquez. Marc has won three of the four feature races so far this year. Álex has yet to win, with three second-place finishes.
