It’s official – Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing) has been declared fit to ride at this weekend’s Qatar Airways Grand Prix of Qatar.
After a torrid couple months with injury, the World Champion has finally been passed fit as he looks forward to the Qatar GP
Initial medical checks in Europe confirmed the #1 was able to travel to Doha in the hope of racing for the first time this season after we saw and heard from the 2024 World Champion at the Americas GP. And now, having passed the compulsory medical test at the Lusail International Circuit on Thursday, Martin is cleared to head out on track for FP1 on Friday afternoon.
That means we’ll have the reigning World Champion on track for the first time since February’s Sepang Test – great news for Martin, Aprilia and MotoGP.
More, from a news release by MotoGP.com:
It’s one of the biggest days of the 2025 MotoGP World Championship so far, as Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing) prepares to make his highly anticipated return to racing—his first outing since being crowned World Champion at the 2024 season finale in Barcelona.
A lot has happened since that historic moment, and motogp.com is here to bring you all the latest on his comeback, along with a recap of what happened since the last time we saw the #1 race.
November 19th, 2024: Martin’s first taste of the Aprilia
A couple days after being crowned the 2024 MotoGP World Champion, Jorge Martin’s time aboard the Ducati comes to an end. The Spaniard was the first domino to fall in the Ducati guessing game, opting to sign a deal with Aprilia and spearhead their charge alongside Marco Bezzecchi in 2025. The new World Champion completed 65 laps on debut with the RS-GP at the Barcelona Test.
January 16th, 2025: Martin brings history to Aprilia!
After plenty of speculation, the Aprilia Racing Team Presentation gave us an answer: Jorge Martin would adorn the #1 plates with his new team, the first time an Aprilia bike would have the honour.
February 5th, 2025: Disaster strikes in Sepang
Day 1 of the Sepang Test, and Martin’s second outing with the Aprilia couldn’t have gotten off to a worse start. The World Champion highsided at Turn 1, before remounting and going again. However, his second run didn’t last long as he once again highsided, this time at Turn 2, resulting in fractures in his right hand and left foot. Three days later, he underwent a successful surgery in Barcelona, but the injury forced the #1 out of both the Sepang and Buriram Tests.
February 24th, 2025: Lightning strikes twice
When it rains, it pours. While recovering from his initial injury, Martin had hoped to be fit for the season opener in Thailand. However, a training crash brought new concerns — this time, a left-hand injury that once again required surgery. The severity of the injury meant he would miss at least the opening round of the 2025 season.
“Blows are always tough, but when they come one after another, the impact multiplies. This time, they have been especially hard, both physically and mentally, and for the first time in my life, they have made me miss the season’s opening race,” the Spaniard posted on his Instagram page.
March 13th, 2025: A special guest appearance
By the time the Argentina GP rolled around, Martin was still absent from the grid, though he did make a special guest appearance at Thursday’s Press Conference. Unfortunately, he didn’t bring good tidings, revealing that his injury layoff would extend onto Round 3 and the Americas GP
April 1st: The Americas GP
Despite being absent from the grid in Texas, Martin was present in the Aprilia boxes during a highly dramatic Americas GP.
April 2nd, 2025: “Let’s get to work!”
After a torrid couple of months with injury, the World Champion finally had some positive news! Speaking to Italian media, he announced his expectation to return for Round 4 in Lusail, while at the beginning of April, he underwent a successful medical check up in Barcelona! A call to Aprilia CEO Massimo Rivola soon followed, during which Martin confirmed he’d been given the all-clear by doctors — prompting the rallying cry: ‘Let’s get to work!'”
Aprilia 10th, 2025: Thursday at the Qatar GP
D-day for Martin. Having received the all-clear from the doctors in Barcelona, the World Champion still had to be passed fit before he could officially begin racing again… which he was!
For the first time in 2025, the World Champion will take to the track during a Grand Prix weekend. Check out his expectations for the weekend below!
