Malaysian Grand Prix qualifying results: Martin suffers devastating blow to title hopes
Marquez's front row puts him in a perfect place (Photo: Monster Media)
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Connor Andrews is Formula 1 and MotoGP writer for GPblog and various outlets. Having worked in motorsport for 15 years for leading companies, he has interviewed the sports biggest names and attended multiple Grands Prix.
Alex Marquez took pole position at the Qatar Grand Prix from his brother Marc, but the real story was Jorge Martin's withdrawal from the event.
The Aprilia rider followed up his pull-out from Friday’s running by again leaving the Sepang circuit early due to pain from his broken wrist.
Martin was seen wincing as his fracture was checked by staff, and ended up unclassified in Q1, meaning he would have started 21st and last for the Sprint and Grand Prix.
However, the 2024 world champion then announced that his weekend was over. A team statement read: "Jorge Martin will sit out the remainder of the Malaysian GP to continue his recovery from his injury."
Martin's title fight could be nearing its end (Photo: Red Bull Content Pool)
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The scenes were good news for Marquez, who leads Martin in the riders’ championship by 10 points, and he could up that total to 47 with victories in both races.
The third man in the title race, Marco Bezzecchi, was fifth, starting on the second row behind Marquez who he trails by 50 points.
Martin fractured his right wrist during a duel with Marquez last time out in Australia, but decided to try and race through the injury in Sepang.
He already had a reduced Friday, and has called time on his weekend to focus on the next race in Qatar.
Jorge Martin withdraws from Malaysian GP due to wrist injury
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Team boss Antonio Boselli said: "Jorge feels good on the bike, it's a strength issue.
"His commitment is commendable, and he was also courageous because racing with a fracture is not a trivial matter.
"We did what we could, but we have to respect physiological timeframes. This weekend he'll rest, and then there's Qatar.
"The pain is inevitably there, but the main problem is controlling the bike with the strength that can be lost.
"There was no point in continuing to take risks, but it was important to give it a try to check his condition, which wasn't that bad.
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"It was important that it was his decision; if he doesn't feel up to it, that's right and we agree."
Full results - Qualifying for the Malaysian Grand Prix
| pos. | rider | Team | gap 1st / prev. | time |
| 1 | 73 A. Marquez | BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP | 1:56.49 | |
| 2 | 93 M. Marquez | Ducati Lenovo Team | +0.070 / +0.070 | 1:56.56 |
| 3 | 37 P. Acosta | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | +0.084 / +0.014 | 1:56.57 |
| 4 | 79 A. Ogura | SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team | +0.124 / +0.040 | 1:56.61 |
| 5 | 72 M. Bezzecchi | Aprilia Racing | +0.175 / +0.051 | 1:56.66 |
| 6 | 4 9F. Di Giannantonio | Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team | +0.349 / +0.174 | 1:56.84 |
| 7 | 23 E. Bastianini | Red Bull KTM Tech3 | +0.477 / +0.128 | 1:56.97 |
| 8 | 5 J. Zarco | Castrol Honda LCR | +0.523 / +0.046 | 1:57.01 |
| 9 | 21 F. Morbidelli | Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team | +0.775 / +0.252 | 1:57.26 |
| 10 | 63 F. Bagnaia | Ducati Lenovo Team | +0.794 / +0.019 | 1:57.28 |
| 11 | 36 J. Mir | Honda HRC Castrol | +0.850 / +0.056 | 1:57.34 |
| 12 | 12 M. Viñales | Red Bull KTM Tech3 | +1.244 / +0.394 | 1:57.73 |
Out in Q1
| pos. | rider | Team | time |
| 13 | 10 L. Marini | Honda HRC Castrol | 01:57.623 |
| 14 | 11 D. Moreira | Pro Honda LCR | 01:57.733 |
| 15 | 33 B. Binder | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | 01:58.127 |
| 16 | 43 J. Miller | Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP | 01:58.148 |
| 17 | 42 A. Rins | Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team | 01:58.155 |
| 18 | 20 F. Quartararo | Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team | 01:58.219 |
| 19 | 27 I. Lecuona | BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP | 01:58.456 |
| 20 | 47 A. Fernandez | Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP | 01:58.855 |
| Not Classified | |||
| 89 J. Martin | Aprilia Racing |
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