Diogo Moreira retired from the Qatar MotoGP at Lusail on lap seven after a nerve problem in his elbow became too painful to continue. The Honda rider says the condition stems from a crash at the Sachsenring last year, when he was competing in Moto2.

The issue affected Moreira throughout the weekend. He was 17th in Practice and qualified 16th, although he managed 10th in the Sprint. He said the pain had already appeared on Saturday in Malaysia, where he was still able to complete the race. In Qatar, it was present from Friday and worsened progressively.

Moreira felt the problem during the final laps of the Sprint, but said racing on Sunday became impossible. He linked the deterioration to the number of days spent riding during the Asian races, as well as the many right-hand corners at both the Malaysian and Qatari circuits. He also described Qatar’s track as physically demanding.

The rider said he was very tense on the bike throughout the Qatar weekend and that the pain was worse by the end of the Grand Prix. Moreira now has a week to rest and continue training before Portimao, where he expects to return at 100 per cent.