Marc Marquez will skip both MotoGP contests in Qatar after deciding with doctors to allow his broken arm to heal further before returning to competition.
Marquez completed a pair of tests in Barcelona and Portimao last week on a road-based Honda motorcycle after receiving the news he could intensify his training from the medical team that carried out the operation to cure the infected humerus bone on his right arm that forced him to miss the 2020 campaign.
Having undergone the procedure back in December on the humerus bone that was afflicted by an “infected pseudoarthrosis”, a condition that means the bone can’t heal properly, Marquez’s arm has healed well since then, allowing him to return to riding as he works towards a racing return in the near future.
The Spaniard had hoped to return to action for the MotoGP season opener in Qatar this weekend, though following his pair of tests and after liaising with his doctors regarding the injury he has elected to miss both races in Qatar, with a view to taking part in the first European race encounter of the year in Portimao.
But in a short statement released by his Honda premier class squad on Monday morning it has been decided that due to the sheer amount of time Marquez has been absent from the track – nearly eight months before his Barcelona test a week ago – doctors want to avoid “putting the humerus at risk in intense competition” at this time.
Honda’s statement did reveal though that a “good clinical response has been found” following Marquez’s training intesification, meaning his recovery remains heading in a good direction even after completing two days of testing in short order.
The Portuguese event is due to be held on April 18th, with Marquez confirmed to be having a further medical examination on April 12th, just under a week before the race to determine whether a comeback will be possible.
Marquez sustained his broken arm after suffering heavy crash while chasing Fabio Quartararo for the lead in last term’s opener at Jerez for the Spanish GP, the six time premier class champion going airborne after high-siding at Turn 3 and slamming into the tarmac before rolling several times through the gravel.
He attempted a return in the Austrian GP after having to miss the Czech GP at Brno after further aggravating the injury after trying to open a window, though he only managed to take part in the opening practice session at the Red Bull Ring before pulling out of the weekend after struggling to ride the RC213-V competitively.
He would ultimately not return for the rest of the campaign as his broken humerus failed to heal sufficiently, leaving Honda test rider Stefan Bradl to complete the year alongside brother Alex Marquez.
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