Reigning MotoGP champion Jorge Martin's injury absence is being prolonged, with Martin admitting that his recovery is not going "as fast as I would like".
Martin suffered two major injuries during the pre-season, the first denying him the majority of the available testing mileage on his new bike (the 2025 Aprilia RS-GP) and the second ruling him out from the start of the season.
The radius and scaphoid fractures sustained by Martin in a training accident right in the lead-up to the season opener in Thailand were right away thought to mean a multi-round absence.
This was soon confirmed, and now Martin won't miss just this weekend's second round in Argentina, but also the upcoming third round in the United States.
And that might not be it.
"I'm really suffering, it's not my moment," Martin admitted as he took part in the Argentine Grand Prix pre-event press conference by videocalling in.
"I'm struggling to recover as fast as I would like.
"I can say that I won't be in Austin - I would like to be there [in attendance], but I won't be racing.
"I also don't know if I can be in [round four] Qatar. I don't know yet, it's still really early for sure.
"I would like to make some kind of test before coming back to racing because I'm not feeling really good. And I know Massimo [Rivola, Aprilia boss] is also working on that, let's see if we can make it possible."
The regulations as they are right now do not permit Martin a separate private test as Aprilia is not a 'Rank D' concession manufacturer - so can only use its race riders in official collective tests.
One will follow immediately after round five at Jerez at the end of April, but Aprilia and Martin will presumably hope that he can at least be in action in that Spanish Grand Prix weekend - and his suggestion Rivola is "working on" some sort of solution hints that Aprilia may be lobbying MotoGP for an exemption or a rule change.
Championship leader Marc Marquez said it was a "smart decision" for Martin to miss the Grand Prix of the Americas in Austin because of how physically-demanding the Circuit of the Americas is.
"But, keep going, Jorge, from one day to the other it will change, you will feel better - and we await you here at the racetrack," he told Martin.
