Aleix Espargaro has suffered fractures to four vertebrae in a MotoGP testing crash at Sepang.
Espargaro was testing at Sepang for HRC along with Takaaki Nakagami. Last year, Espargaro confirmed to media that he would be continuing development on the 1,000cc Honda MotoGP bike in the early part of 2026, while Nakagami would focus on the 850cc bike that will be used from 2027.
Espargaro crashed on Tuesday, sustaining contusions and fractures to his vertebrae, although he says no spinal cord damage was sustained.
The Spaniard also expects to return soon to Spain for further evaluation.
“On Tuesday [7 April], during the test here in Sepang, I suffered a very heavy crash,” Espargaro confirmed on Instagram.
“As a result, I sustained several contusions and four broken vertebrae, although by a very small margin, and thankfully they did not affect the spinal cord.
“After a few days at CU Aurelius Hospital, where I’ve been treated incredibly well, I’m now able to fly home with Laura [Espargaro’s wife], who came to the rescue from the other side of the world (once again, and I’ve lost count…) and there we will evaluate whether surgery is needed at Quirón Dexeus.”
Espargaro is the second HRC rider to be injured at Sepang this year, after WorldSBK’s Somkiat Chantra broke both arms there in January and was forced to miss the opening round of the season at Phillip Island in February.
The test for Espargaro and Nakagami this week took place during MotoGP’s extended April break between the US Grand Prix at the end of March and Spanish Grand Prix on 24–26 April, after the Qatar race – originally scheduled for this weekend (10–12 April) – was moved to November as a result of the current conflict in the Middle East that began on 28 February.
