Marc Marquez drove his last MotoGP for the time being in Mugello on Sunday. The Repsol Honda Team rider finished 10th, but the result wasn’t the most important in his own words on the day. The sport will fade into the background for the foreseeable future, and his health will be a priority in the coming months.
Marc Marquez crossed the 10th finish line in the MotoGP MotoGP race at the Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley circuit on Sunday afternoon in Mugello in what was his last race for the time being before heading to America next Tuesday for a fourth surgery in a plane crash in July 19 in Jerez. He was injured in the right arm. The upcoming races, and possibly the rest of the current MotoGP season, will allow the Spaniard to pass him by.
A sudden development for the Spaniard who, according to him, wants to do everything in his power to restore his normal life and then be able to play sports at the highest level again. Marquez spoke candidly to the media after Sunday’s Mugello race, a conversation suggesting that Repsol Honda Team was not really up from 10th in the race earlier in the day.
Marc Marquez: I received confirmation of the operation on Friday. If I was told last Wednesday or Thursday, I probably wouldn’t start my weekend here in Mugello at all. It was a very tough weekend. Physically this whole year has been tough for me, but this weekend has also been very tough mentally. I really struggled to maintain my focus for the past three days.”
According to Marquez, Honda let him decide whether or not to drive in Mugello, and they left the choice up to him. So his decision was the same, a well-thought-out one, but it was clear that the Spaniard did not want to take any unnecessary risks and that the weekend was all about providing good feedback on the development of the Honda RC213V.
As of Sunday evening, Marquez will focus on the upcoming operation. Marquez will leave for the United States on Tuesday, after which the operation will take place on Wednesday or Thursday. Substances applied during previous operations will be removed, and the bone in the upper right portion will be broken again (saw) and repositioned to enable correct placement. After the operation, Marquez will have to spend a few more days in the American clinic for observation before returning to Spain, after which further treatment and rehabilitation will be carried out in Madrid by his medical team.
Marquez couldn’t comment on how long it will take to recover and rehab and when we’ll see him on the bike again on Sunday after the race.
Marc Marquez: This was also one of my first questions to doctors: ‘When can I drive again? They told me right away, ‘If you come into this situation, you’d better stay home.’
Expectations indicate that recovery will not take weeks, but rather months. In other words, the eight-time world champion will have to be patient and face a lengthy rehabilitation period.
Marc Marquez: “To be honest, I gave up on it, but this surgery is the right decision. Now it’s not just about wanting and being able to win again. It’s about having fun again and being able to live a normal life. I want to train normally and not take painkillers all the time. At the moment I am very disabled. After the Grand Prix I can’t do anything for two to three days. Only then can I train again, but only with a lot of physical therapy and the use of necessary painkillers. It can’t go on like this. From Psychologically, I would have continued this for another year, or maybe two years at the most.”
In the coming period, Honda will have to do without its great looks in the first class. One thing we know now is that Stefan Bradel will replace eight-time world champion in the ninth Grand Prix of the season at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya next week at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. According to his own words, this will be the only time for the German at the moment, and it is not yet known who will serve as a teammate of Paul Espargaro next.
Useful links Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley:
Schedule and full results
Where to follow on TV
visual report
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