1 week Ago
DOHA: Jorge Martin is set to make his return from injury at the Lusail International Circuit (LIC), and while he admits he’s not yet “100%,” the reigning world champion’s comeback is poised to ignite the MotoGP Qatar Airways Grand Prix of Qatar 2025.
The Spaniard missed the races in Thailand, Argentina and the United States after sustaining injuries - a broken right hand and foot - during a crash on the opening day of pre-season testing in Malaysia back in February.
Now declared fit following a final test yesterday, the Aprilia rider is finally ready to launch his 2025 World Championship campaign.
Jorge Martin during the press conference.
After three rounds, Alex Marquez leads the overall standings with 87 points, holding a slender one-point lead over his elder brother, Marc Marquez.
The eight-time world champion saw his perfect start to the season disrupted by a crash at the USA MotoGP in Austin.
Two-time world champion Francesco Bagnaia, who claimed victory in the United States, sits third with 75 points.
Martin, who switched to Aprilia in the off-season after winning the world title with Ducati-Pramac, described the past two months as “difficult.
”
“I don’t know what to expect. I don’t feel 100% still,” Martin said during a press conference at LIC yesterday.
A view of Lusail International Circuit.
“I have good strength but still pain. So let’s see what the weekend brings and try to adapt a little bit more to the Aprilia.
”
The 27-year-old emphasised that his immediate goal is simply to get back on the bike before focusing on the title fight.
“I will take it session by session, day by day. I don’t know if I’ll even be able to finish the weekend.
For me, just to do that will be a big success,” he said.
“I just need time to recover, get used to the bike, and then let’s see in 2-3 months. Hopefully, by then, everything will be on point and I’ll be able to fight with these three riders – Alex Marquez, Marc Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia.
”
Following a crash in the main race in Austin after winning the sprint, Marc Marquez is also aiming to bounce back at Lusail—a track where he hasn’t won since 2014 and hasn’t stood on the podium since 2019.
“It’s the first circuit where, historically, Alex and Pecco have been better than me. If I’m competitive here, it will be a very good sign.
If not, I’ll try to work to improve,” said the Ducati rider.
Reflecting on his crash in Austin, Marc added: “The good thing is, despite that big mistake, we’re still second in the championship—just one point behind the leader. So, here it feels like everything restarts.
”
Bagnaia, who dominated last year’s Qatar GP, hopes to carry that momentum into this weekend after his win in Austin.
“It was great to have that kind of performance in Austin, especially at a track that’s always been tough for me. This [Lusail] is a better circuit, more suited to my riding style.
I like the track and the layout,” he said.
Speaking about his win in Texas, Bagnaia added: “We know we won because of Marc’s crash—he was gaining tenths every lap. My goal was to finish second, and once he went down, the objective became to win.
We did a good job in Austin, made a step forward, but we haven’t finished our work. We need to keep improving, especially in braking and corner entry.”
Bagnaia named Marc and Alex Marquez as his main challengers at Lusail, while also advising Martin not to rush his comeback.
“Jorge doesn’t need to put pressure on himself. He’s only done 13 laps on a MotoGP bike this season and has already had three big crashes—one in training and two in Malaysia. He just needs to focus on adapting, understanding the bike, and enjoying the weekend,” Bagnaia said.
Gresini Racing’s Alex Marquez, who is still chasing his first Grand Prix win in the top class, emphasised the importance of consistency in the championship fight.
“We need to be realistic in our performance and avoid mistakes. The goal is to finish all the races.
We’re doing a really great job,” he said.
“This is just another normal weekend—try to extract 100% as always and be as fast as we can.”
MotoGP Qatar Airways Grand Prix of Qatar 2025
TODAY
Time Class Session
14:00-14:35 Moto3 Free Practice Nr.
1
14:50-15:30 Moto2 Free Practice Nr. 1
15:45-16:30 MotoGP Free Practice Nr. 1
18:15-18:50 Moto3 Practice
19:05-19:45 Moto2 Practice
20:00-21:00 MotoGP Practice
TOMORROW
13:30-14:00 Moto3 Free Practice Nr.
2
14:15-14:45 Moto2 Free Practice Nr. 2
15:00-15:30 MotoGP Free Practice Nr. 2
15:40-15:55 MotoGP Qualifying Nr.
1
16:05-16:20 MotoGP Qualifying Nr. 2
17:50-18:05 Moto3 Qualifying Nr. 1
18:15-18:30 Moto3 Qualifying Nr.
2
18:45-19:00 Moto2 Qualifying Nr. 1
19:10-19:25 Moto2 Qualifying Nr. 2
20:00-20:45 MotoGP Tissot Sprint 11 Laps
SUNDAY
Time Class Session Laps
15:40-15:50 MotoGP Warm Up
17:00 Moto3 Race 16 laps
18:15 Moto2 Race 18 laps
20:00 MotoGP Race 22 laps
