Championship contender set for further evaluation after Australia injury

Martin crashed out during the Sprint at the Australian Grand Prix last Saturday. X-rays revealed a fracture of the radius in his forearm. It was subsequently announced that Martin would be unable to compete in the Australian Grand Prix, which was ultimately cancelled due to severe weather conditions on Sunday.

After the weekend, Aprilia announced that Martin would not fly back to Europe for treatment but would instead stay in the region ahead of this weekend's Malaysian Grand Prix. For now, Martin is cleared to return to the circuit for the first free practice session of the weekend. Whether the Spaniard is fit enough to compete at the Sepang International Circuit for the remainder of the weekend will be assessed after FP1 on Friday.

Of course, Martin's ability to compete could have huge implications for the championship battle. The 2024 world champion is currently just 10 points behind Marc Marquez in the standings. His teammate, Marco Bezzecchi, sits 50 points behind the championship leader.

There is some good news for Honda. After initially having only one rider available for Phillip Island, where Luca Marini also had to withdraw, the Honda factory team will have both the Italian and Joan Mir fit to race at Sepang.

Raul Fernandez is also still dealing with a finger injury he sustained in Indonesia. He is in a similar situation to Martin, as the Trackhouse rider can take part in FP1 before being assessed again.