Jorge Martin returned to competitive form in Qatar, ending Friday seventh on the timesheets despite a fractured bone in his right wrist. He suffered the injury in a crash at Phillip Island two weeks earlier, yet his Aprilia RS-GP was clearly more effective than it had been during the difficult Friday he experienced at Sepang.

Martin had cut his Sepang session short because he lacked strength in the wrist. Qatar was a different picture: he completed 19 laps, a total close to Grand Prix distance. His best lap was 0.6 seconds slower than Fabio di Giannantonio’s benchmark on the VR46 Ducati, while he was only 0.350s away from the quickest RS-GP, ridden by team-mate Marco Bezzecchi.

The performance also carries weight in the championship battle with Marc Marquez. Martin needs eight points across the weekend to ensure that Marquez’s title celebrations are delayed. Martin called his own effort something to be proud of and said he is not fully recovered, but can now string laps together and maintain a competitive rhythm.

Where the wrist is still costing him

The pain has not disappeared. Martin said, however, that the adrenaline means he barely notices it while riding. His immediate challenge is rebuilding his feel for the motorcycle after the Australian crash. Sector one was his main weakness, with Martin ranked 13th fastest there, even though he had made a substantial improvement under braking.

Right-hand corners at maximum lean remain particularly demanding, and direction changes are also difficult. Martin nevertheless stressed that the gap to the front was not large. He feels his strength returning and expects to find more performance before Saturday’s Sprint, giving the Aprilia rider cautious optimism for the rest of the weekend.