Official: Jorge Martin out of Malaysia MotoGP

Aprilia has confirmed that Jorge Martin has withdrawn from this weekend's Malaysian MotoGP in another major blow to his title hopes.

The injured Spaniard sat out most of Friday afternoon to rest his broken wrist, then returned for Saturday's final practice.

However, after completing eight laps, Martin walked out of the garage before the end of the session and didn't return for Qualifying 1.

Then came the official announcement: "Jorge Martin will withdraw from the remainder of the Malaysian GP to continue his recovery from injury".

The 2024 world champion crashed during last weekend’s sprint race at the Australian Grand Prix while battling for the win with chief title rival Marc Marquez.

Martin suffered a fractured wrist in the crash and was forced to withdraw from Sunday’s race, though he was dealt a fortunate reprieve as poor weather led to the Australian Grand Prix to be cancelled.

Following the sprint, Marquez took a 10-point lead over Martin.

Marquez now has the possibility to take his championship lead to 47 points if he wins both races at Sepang this weekend.

That could well see him put one hand on the championship trophy if the Qatar Grand Prix is called off due to the war in the Gulf region.

If those two things do happen, Marquez could be crowned champion at the penultimate round of the campaign in Portugal.