Factory Aprilia rider Aleix Espargaro withdrew from the Liqui Moly Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland at the Sachsenring after riding just three full laps on Friday morning.

Espargaro had injured his right little finger metacarpal in a Sprint Race crash last weekend in Assen, after taking a big hit in a crash earlier in the weekend. He attempted to ride in Germany but decided to concentrate on recovering during the summer break and returning in England.

“I had a lot of pain before coming here, but I decided at the very last moment to come. Obviously, the doctors told me I wouldn’t be able to ride because I have a big injury in my hand. It’s on the right hand, which I use to accelerate but I didn’t want to stay at home. So, I came here, I tried my best but it’s impossible, I am in a lot of pain. Every time I went into the right corners, I could not control the throttle. It’s also dangerous for the others, so yeah, I was forced to stop,” Espargaro said on the official MotoGP website.

Factory Yamaha rider Alex Rins also was injured in Assen and Yamaha Superbike World Championship rider Remy Gardner, who rode for the KTM Tech3 team in MotoGP in 2022, is riding in his place this weekend.