MotoGP world champion Jorge Martin is expected to miss the 2025 season-opening Thai Grand Prix after all, due to a fresh injury suffered in training on Monday.
Martin had already sat out almost all of pre-season testing having required surgery on his right hand following a ferocious crash on his first morning of 2025 running at Sepang.
Now, as first reported by Motorsport.com Spain, Martin is set to miss at least the first race weekend of his title defence too.
He was intending to return for the Buriram race this weekend - which would have been his debut for new employer Aprilia - only to sustain an injury to his other hand while training on a supermoto bike in Lleida in Spain on Monday.
Martin will now have to undergo another operation on Tuesday.
There is a fortnight gap after Thailand before round two of the season in Argentina.
Though Martin knew a successful title defence would be a long shot in his first season at his new team given Aprilia’s deficit to Ducati last year, joining the campaign late and with barely any preparation makes his 2025 even harder.
Aprilia’s latest bike appears from pre-season testing to be a clear improvement over its predecessor, with Martin’s team-mate Marco Bezzecchi looking extremely competitive in Martin's absence and as though his 2024 problems are behind him.
Martin’s additional injury also increases the chances of the intra-team power battle swinging Bezzecchi’s way at least initially.
Aprilia would likely run test rider Lorenzo Savadori in the Buriram race if it still fields two bikes.
