Jorge Martin has ended his participation in the 2026 Malaysian MotoGP after completing eight laps of Saturday morning’s final practice at Sepang. The Aprilia rider left the garage before the session finished and did not return, then missed Qualifying 1. Aprilia subsequently confirmed that he would withdraw from the remainder of the Grand Prix to continue recovering from his fractured wrist.

The decision closes a brief and difficult comeback attempt. Martin had been cleared to return on Friday and was declared fit to race after the opening session. He nevertheless stopped during the afternoon practice after only a few laps, choosing to rest the injured wrist before Saturday. His return to the track for final practice showed that he was still attempting to continue, but the eight-lap run was followed by an early departure from the Aprilia garage and his absence from qualifying.

A title fight turned on its head

Martin’s injury came during the sprint at last weekend’s Australian Grand Prix. He crashed while fighting Marc Marquez for the victory and fractured his wrist. The injury forced him out of Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix, although the race was later cancelled because of poor weather. The cancellation spared Martin a further points loss, but Marquez still moved into the championship lead by 10 points after the sprint.

That gap could become much larger in Malaysia. Marquez has the possibility of extending his advantage to 47 points if he wins both races at Sepang. A further championship consequence is possible if the Qatar Grand Prix is cancelled because of the war in the Gulf region: in that scenario, and if the other results fall into place, Marquez could be crowned champion at the penultimate round in Portugal. Those outcomes remain conditional, but Martin’s withdrawal removes his opportunity to score points during the rest of the Malaysian weekend.

Aprilia loses another rider

Martin was not the only Aprilia rider affected at Sepang. Raul Fernandez had already been ruled out after struggling with a finger fracture sustained during FP1. With Martin now out, Marco Bezzecchi and Ai Ogura are the manufacturer’s remaining riders for the Malaysian event.

Bezzecchi entered Saturday’s Sprint 50 points behind the championship leader, making him Aprilia’s main remaining reference in the fight at the front. The manufacturer therefore has fewer chances to challenge the leading Ducati riders, whose recent Sepang form has been described as formidable. Ducati riders Pecco Bagnaia and Alex Marquez won the Sprint and Grand Prix respectively at last year’s Malaysian round, while Ai Ogura was the best-placed Aprilia rider in that Grand Prix in 10th.

The weekend had also provided a technical point of interest for Aprilia. Bezzecchi debuted the manufacturer’s new aerodynamic swingarm on Friday, and Martin was using the same component during Saturday’s final practice. Martin’s withdrawal means that Bezzecchi and Ogura are left to carry the team’s on-track evaluation and race effort at Sepang.

The sequence of events at the circuit underlined the physical limits of Martin’s return. After missing most of Friday afternoon, he made another attempt in final practice but did not stay out until the chequered flag. The subsequent absence from Q1 turned that shortened appearance into the end of his Malaysian GP campaign, with recovery now taking priority over qualifying and the Sprint.