Martin's surgery postponed, Jerez return in doubt
Pramac Ducati MotoGP rider Jorge Martin’s surgery on fractures suffered in a violent crash during the Portuguese Grand Prix has been postponed and a Jerez return is now in doubt.
The rookie crashed at Turn 7 in the latter stages of Saturday's FP3 session at the Algarve track, the Spaniard needing to be stretchered off track and taken to hospital for checks.
Martin was found to have suffered fractures to his right hand and ankle and was ruled out of the rest of the Portimao weekend.
He flew to Barcelona on Sunday afternoon and was due to have surgery on Monday at the Quiron Clinic with Doctor Xavier Mir and his team.
However, due to the severe blow to his head, his operation has been postponed likely to Wednesday upon advice from his doctors.
A representative of Martin's told Motorsport.com's Spanish language site that the Pramac rider is unlikely to return to action next weekend at the Spanish GP.
"The most important thing now is that Jorge recovers," the representative said.
"First they have to operate on him and see how the postoperative period goes, but we are in no hurry, if he has to wait until Le Mans, we will wait.
"We are not going to speed up the operation because we are at Jerez, he must recover first.
"I think it's very difficult, right now, for him to be at the Spanish Grand Prix, I almost rule it out.
"Although in these things nothing is ever one hundred percent sure."
Martin's injury comes just a fortnight after he scored a maiden pole position in just his second MotoGP race in Qatar, and went on to finish the Doha GP third having led for the first 17 laps.
Pramac's Portugal weekend ended is disappointing fashion, after erstwhile championship leader Johann Zarco crashed out of second place in the latter stages.
The Portugal round proved to be a bruising weekend for a number of riders as well as Martin, most notably LCR's Takaaki Nakagami.
The Japanese rider had a fast 250km/h crash at Turn 1 in FP1, which left him with a damaged collarbone.
Despite this, he managed to come through from the back of the grid to finish 10th.
Related video
Previous article
Cancelled Portugal pole lap "lost" Bagnaia MotoGP win chance
Next article
Rins “did nothing wrong” in Portugal MotoGP crash
MotoGP: Virtual onboard at the Sachsenring
MotoGP: Suzuki's Catalunya testing
Why Quartararo’s suit penalty highlights a wider issue in MotoGP
OPINION: Fabio Quartararo racing with his leather suit open and subsequent penalty has been the main talking point of the Catalunya MotoGP weekend, which has highlighted a wider issue with MotoGP’s stewarding that risks a negative precedent going forward.
How MotoGP’s “beast” tamers bounced back at Catalunya
The expectation on KTM to replicate its winning form from 2020 this season made its difficult start to the new MotoGP campaign even more disappointing. But a key update has seen KTM's fortunes reversed over the last week and returned it to the top step of the podium in Barcelona
The signs that point to Rossi's MotoGP retirement
It's not been a happy start to 2021 for Valentino Rossi at the Petronas SRT satellite squad, with performances that are a shadow of the rider that utterly dominated MotoGP at the start of the new millennium. At the age of 42, how much longer can he go on?
Why the most significant Le Mans MotoGP performance wasn't Miller's
Hot on the heels of his first MotoGP win in five years, Jack Miller made it two from two with a commanding French Grand Prix victory at Le Mans despite two long-lap penalties. Impressive though it was, it was an expectation-defying performance from an anticipated title rival that was the real standout.
The impossible problem Honda faces with its 2021 MotoGP bike
Honda hasn’t enjoyed an easy start to the 2021 MotoGP campaign, despite gains last season which looked to have carried over into the pre-season. Now admitting it does have issues in serious need of resolving, it faces an almost impossible task in doing so.
How Jerez underlined MotoGP's speed problem
The brutal nature of a series of crashes at Jerez has reopened the debate about whether current MotoGP speeds are beyond the safety limits of the tracks. But even if riders are supportive of the move, getting the manufacturers to find a consensus on how speed reductions should be achieved may be altogether harder
How a Crutchlow helped Miller to Jerez MotoGP redemption
Jack Miller’s tough start to life as a factory Ducati MotoGP rider left him mentally battered and bruised, but a pep talk and positive reinforcement from a surprising source aided the Australian to show his full potential with victory at the Spanish Grand Prix
What does Marc Marquez have to do to get back to his best?
Following his resounding MotoGP return with a seventh place finish in Portugal, Marc Marquez now must work to rediscover his best form before turning his attention towards results-based targets
