During the weekend of the Qatar Grand Prix, Jorge Martín of the Aprilia Racing Team faces a considerable challenge as the discomfort in his fractured wrist has intensified. The Spanish rider, after a promising Friday, has seen his physical condition worsen on Saturday during the qualifying session.
After achieving a seventh place in practice, Martín made it directly to Q2, but when it mattered, he was unable to perform as expected, finishing in eleventh place. His frustration was evident when, at the end of the session, he gestured towards Pedro Acosta after a complaint about possible interference in his lap attempt.
In statements to TNT Sports before the qualifying phase, the team’s director, Paolo Bonora, admitted that expectations needed to be adjusted from the previous day. “He did an amazing job yesterday, despite the pain and the fracture,” Bonora said. “The truth is that today he feels worse than yesterday; the discomfort appears in direction changes and even more during hard braking”.
Bonora indicated that the strategy for qualifying would be minimal effort, attempting to manage Martín’s energies. Although the rider completed seven laps, comparable to most of his rivals, he struggled to set a competitive time.
While 11 laps are scheduled for the sprint race this afternoon, tomorrow’s grand prix will consist of 22 laps, a challenge that Martín will have to face with great care.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
