Marc Marquez protege out of Qatar Moto3 after breakout COTA debut
Maximo Quiles ruled out of Qatar GP with injury
Marc Marquez protege Maximo Quiles’ debut Moto3 season has ground to a halt as a pre-round injury has forced him to withdraw from this weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix.
Quiles has quickly become one of the paddock’s hottest prospects following a firecracker time in the pre-grand prix categories, which caught the eye of MotoGP ace Marc Marquez and his management company.
Despite only being 17, a rewrite of the regulations surrounding the minimum age limit - which stands at 18 for Moto3 - allowed Quiles to sign a deal with Aspar to make his Moto3 debut in 2025.
He had to wait until he turned 17 to make his debut, however, which meant he was forced to sit out the opening two rounds and make his maiden grand prix appearance at the Americas Grand Prix.
Quiles stunned in his first weekend, qualifying second and leading the race early on before eventually taking the chequered flag in fifth.
A pre-weekend training incident has forced him back onto the sidelines, though, after checks at the Lusail circuit on Thursday ahead of the Qatar GP revealed a fracture to his thumb.
He will return to Spain to begin recovery ahead of his home event at Jerez at the end of the month.
A brief statement from the team read: “CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team rider Maximo Quiles will not participate in the Qatar Grand Prix due to a fractured thumb on his right hand.
“Quiles crashed while training before the grand prix.
“Medical tests failed to detect the injury.
“However, upon arriving at the Qatar circuit, the Murcia-born rider underwent further X-rays, which revealed a fractured finger.
“Quiles will travel to Spain as soon as possible for surgery and to begin his recovery, with his sights set on the Spanish Grand Prix.”
Quiles is the second big name to be ruled out of action at the Qatar GP, after a training incident left fourth-placed Matteo Bertelle with fractures to his arm and leg.
He will sit out the Qatar GP at least, and will likely be out for longer given the nature of his injuries.
