Jorge Martin Cleared for Malaysian GP After FP1 Assessment

Jorge Martin has received the necessary medical clearances to take part in the remainder of the Malaysian Grand Prix after the opening practice on Friday.

Having been initially declared fit by MotoGP’s official doctor Angel Charte on Thursday, the Aprilia rider needed to undergo further evaluation after the first track session of the weekend before being allowed to continue at Sepang.

As the timer to FP1 ran out, Charte was already in the Aprilia garage to assess the right wrist the Spaniard broke in his crash at the Phillip Island sprint last Saturday.

Having been satisfied with his condition, Charte gave Martin the all-clear to race at Sepang and keep his title hopes alive.

In a short statement issued around midday, less than half an hour after FP1 ended, Aprilia noted that “Jorge Martin has been declared fit to race at the Malaysian GP”.

While Martin has been given the green‑light to race, he faces a significant challenge in closing the gap to the front after finishing 20th in FP1, 1.8 seconds off the best time set by his title rival Marc Marquez on the factory Ducati.

Martin’s team‑mate Marco Bezzecchi finished second on the timesheets, albeit 0.474 seconds behind Marquez.

Heading into this weekend’s Malaysian GP, Marquez holds a 10‑point lead in the standings over Martin, with Bezzecchi 50 points behind in third.

Fernandez withdraws from Malaysian GP

Raul Fernandez, Trackhouse Racing

Photo by: Qian Jun / MB Media via Getty Images

While Martin has been declared fit to race, Aprilia will be down to three riders this weekend after Trackhouse’s Raul Fernandez withdrew from the weekend due to his own injury.

The 26‑year‑old completed just two laps of the Sepang International Circuit in FP1 before pulling into the pits with visible pain. The Spaniard had been nursing a finger injury that he sustained during the sprint race at the Indonesian Grand Prix earlier this month.

Although he went on to complete the Mandalika weekend, finishing second to Bezzecchi in the full‑distance race, his problems worsened at Phillip Island last weekend and he was forced to retire early from the sprint race.

After being declared unfit to take part in the Australian GP, which was ultimately cancelled, Fernandez travelled to Malaysia with the aim of racing again. However, after reporting severe pain while riding the bike, he took the decision to cut short his weekend and focus on his recovery.

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