Marquez given all-clear to make MotoGP return at Portimao
Marc Marquez will return to MotoGP for the first time in nearly a year after being given permission by doctors to take part in this month’s Portuguese Grand Prix.
Marquez has been out of action since he broke his right arm in last year’s delayed season opener at Jerez in July.
A failed attempt to return for the following week's Andalucian GP compounded his injury, and resulted in a lengthier spell on the sidelines.
The six-time champion has undergone three operations since then, the last of which coming in December when he had bone grafted onto his humerus from his hip.
However, the Spaniard failed to recover sufficiently for the start of the 2021 campaign, missing pre-season testing as well as the opening two rounds of the season in Qatar last month.
Honda test rider Stefan Bradl replaced Marquez at both events, managing a best finish of 11th in the first of the two Doha races.
In a statement released on Saturday morning, Honda said that doctors have given Marquez all-clear to contest the third round of the season at Portimao on April 16-18.
“In the review carried out on Marc Marquez by the Hospital Ruber Internacional medical team, four months after surgery, led by Doctors Samuel Antuña and Ignacio Roger de Oña, and made up of Doctors De Miguel, Ibarzabal and García Villanueva, for an infected pseudoarthrosis of the right humerus, a very satisfactory clinical condition was found, with evident progress in the bone consolidation process. In the current situation, Marquez can return to competition, assuming the reasonable risk implicit in his sporting activity,” the statement read.
Marquez’s recovery was delayed by an infection he picked up from his second surgery in August, which followed weeks after his aborted comeback attempt at Jerez.
Although yet to test a MotoGP bike since his injury, Marquez has ridden the Honda RC213V-S test bike at Barcelona and Algarve in order to prepare for his race return.
The Spaniard also has a new teammate in former KTM rider Pol Espargaro in 2021, following brother Alex Marquez’s move to the LCR satellite team alongside Takaaki Nakagami.
“I'M VERY HAPPY!,” Marquez wrote on Twitter. “Yesterday I visited the doctors and they gave me the green light to return to competition. They have been 9 difficult months, with moments of uncertainties and ups and downs, and now, I will be able to enjoy my passion again!
“See you next week in Portimao!!”
Honda has endured a difficult start to the new season, with the factory Repsol-backed outfit fifth in the standings after the opening two rounds.
Espargaro finished eighth and 13th in the opening two races to add to the points scored by Marquez’s substitute Bradl, while neither of the LCR riders have opened their points accounts so far.
Related video
Previous article
Ducati not worried by missed Qatar MotoGP wins
Next article
Petrucci feels he is "too big" for KTM MotoGP bike
About this article
| Series | MotoGP |
| Drivers | Marc Marquez |
| Teams | Repsol Honda Team |
| Author | Rachit Thukral |
MotoGP: Rossi still has fight in him - Schwantz
MotoGP: Mir on the title defence
The impossible problem Honda faces with its 2021 MotoGP bike
Honda hasn’t enjoyed an easy start to the 2021 MotoGP campaign, despite gains last season which looked to have carried over into the pre-season. Now admitting it does have issues in serious need of resolving, it faces an almost impossible task in doing so.
How Jerez underlined MotoGP's speed problem
The brutal nature of a series of crashes at Jerez has reopened the debate about whether current MotoGP speeds are beyond the safety limits of the tracks. But even if riders are supportive of the move, getting the manufacturers to find a consensus on how speed reductions should be achieved may be altogether harder
How a Crutchlow helped Miller to Jerez MotoGP redemption
Jack Miller’s tough start to life as a factory Ducati MotoGP rider left him mentally battered and bruised, but a pep talk and positive reinforcement from a surprising source aided the Australian to show his full potential with victory at the Spanish Grand Prix
What does Marc Marquez have to do to get back to his best?
Following his resounding MotoGP return with a seventh place finish in Portugal, Marc Marquez now must work to rediscover his best form before turning his attention towards results-based targets
How Yamaha's rookie-spec MotoGP star is taking charge
Fabio Quartararo is on a roll in 2021 after storming to victory at a venue five months earlier served up one of his worst races. Contrasting Portuguese GPs for Yamaha's factory duo make it hard to understand just how good its 2021 MotoGP bike is, but the Portimao weekend did at least expose one key improvement compared to 2020
The hurdles Marquez faces next in his Portugal MotoGP return
Even by Marc Marquez’s own high standards, his MotoGP comeback on Friday at the Portuguese Grand Prix will be considered a success even if he didn’t top the times. But having shown competitive pace on his first day back, both Marquez and his rivals know plenty more challenges are to come...
Where does Espargaro sit ahead of Marquez's return?
Pol Espargaro’s first results as a Honda MotoGP rider may not appear special. But dig a little deeper and a clearer picture of his performance emerges. And, as Lewis Duncan writes, it’s cause for celebration at Honda with the return of Marc Marquez set to provide Espargaro with the reference he has been missing so far this year
The "pit bull" MotoGP rookie already drawing legendary comparisons
MotoGP’s 2021 rookie crop is one of the strongest in recent years, but one is already standing out. Jorge Martin’s Doha GP heroics have courted many to compare him to numerous MotoGP legends. Autosport spoke to Pramac boss Francesco Guidotti to find out why MotoGP’s latest Spanish star is already making such an impact
