(Reuters) - Injured MotoGP champion Jorge Martin could be sidelined until the fifth round of the championship as he has still not recovered from surgery, the Aprilia rider said on Thursday.
Martin suffered a nasty crash in pre-season testing in Sepang where he fractured his hand and foot, undergoing surgeries which saw him miss the opening race in Thailand.
The 27-year-old will be watching this weekend's Grand Prix in Argentina as well as the Grand Prix of the Americas in Austin later this month from the sidelines as Aprilia team principal Massimo Rivola waits for the team's star recruit to return.
"I'm really suffering, it's not my moment. I'm struggling to recover as fast as I would like," Martin said via video link at the riders' press conference ahead of the Argentina Grand Prix.
"I can also say that I won't be in Austin. I would like to be there but I won't be racing. I don't know if I can also be (racing) in Qatar.
"This is still really early, for sure I would like to make some kind of test before coming back to racing because I'm not feeling really good. I know Massimo also is working on that, so let's see if we can make it possible."
The Americas Grand Prix will be held from March 28-31 while the fourth round in Qatar is from April 11-13. Martin may return for his home Grand Prix in Spain later in April.
He switched from Pramac Racing to Aprilia prior to the 2025 season but barely rode 13 laps in testing before his crash.
In Martin's absence, six-times MotoGP champion Marc Marquez -- the rider who beat him to the factory Ducati seat -- has topped the standings after a perfect weekend performance in Thailand where he won the sprint and the race from pole.
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)
