Marquez suspends his season for a new operation

Since his heavy fall during the 2020 Spanish GP race, Marc Marquez has been living a nightmare. His hasty return just three days after having surgery for a fracture of his right humerus undoubtedly had something to do with it.

Since November 2019, shortly after the end of the season he flew over, the Honda driver has undergone no less than five interventions, first on the right shoulder, then on the humerus. Still on antibiotics following a bone infection upon his return to Portugal last year, Marquez tried to get his head above water. He managed to win at Sachsenring, his favorite circuit, then at Austin, his other playground. At Misano, he took advantage of the fall of Francesco Bagnaia to win a third time.

But shortly after this success, Marquez fell in training, causing diplopia (double vision). Back at the winter tests at Sepang, Marquez began developing a new RC213V that was supposed to suit drivers other than him... But we had the feeling that something was wrong. The Catalan has never felt comfortable on this machine, which is much more focused on the rear than the front, as he likes.

In Indonesia, during the warm-up, he made another mistake and his double vision returned... Back in Austin, Marquez was only a shadow of himself, struggling to keep up the lead. pace of his opponents, going so far as to follow them in qualifying to try to grab a few tenths.

In Jerez, rumors began to circulate that the possibility of a new intervention was being studied... Even if several of us were pulling the worms out of his nose, Marquez didn't give up, until today today May 28 at Mugello.

The Repsol Honda team held an exceptional press conference just after qualifying in the presence of Marquez and team manager, Alberto Puig, who was the first to speak. “We learned yesterday (Friday) that the operation could be done,” said the man who ended his career due to injury in 1995 (and who still suffers from it today). This can be done now, as the bone is now ready. Previously, this was not recommended. For this reason, Marc will stop after this Grand Prix, take a break and have surgery. The operation will consist of an extraction of the osteosynthesis material fixed in his right shoulder, as well as a humeral osteotomy to improve the external rotation of the arm and adjust the stability of the shoulder. »

Marquez will have surgery at the Clinica Mayo in the United States in Minnesota. “Everything has been really complicated since my first arm injury, and the infection was the worst,” added the main person. The doctors did an incredible job treating me and recovering from my injuries. It was a success, but since I started riding again I feel limited. I never gave up, I attacked and followed what the doctors told me to do, but I realized that I am not having fun this season, I am in pain, I have no strength , I can't ride as I want, I'm starting to hurt my left shoulder, because I'm compensating too much with my left arm..."

Despite limited movement and less strength than in the past, Marquez has been far from ridiculous, but he's still far from the guy who never finished worse than second in 2019 (with the exception of a fall from the lead in Austin). “My results are not bad, but not the ones I want,” he stressed. My riding style is not the same because of me, not the bike. My right arm is not even in a natural position in left turns… Even so I managed to win races last year, so I wanted to try until the end. »

The Spaniard admits to having considered a new operation in October when he was excluded from the circuits because of his diplopia. “As early as October, when I had my vision problems, we evaluated the possibility of doing something to my arm, but the bone was not yet completely healed, the risk was too great,” he said. . (…) After Jerez we had a meeting with the doctors and again considered an operation. I did everything in my hands to avoid it, because I didn't want to, but it's the right way to get well. »

How long will it take him? Marquez doesn't know, but he's already thinking about 2023. “Every weekend is a nightmare, my goal is always the same: to be back. Having surgery now means preparing for 2023.”