Honda announces Marquez will also miss Styrian MotoGP race

Marquez suffered a broken arm in a crash during the 2020 MotoGP opening round at Jerez last month which required an operation on Tuesday immediately after the race.

Having tried to return at the Andalusian GP less than a week later, the second part of the Jerez double-header, he had to pull out after qualifying due to increased swelling in his arm.

The stress of trying to get ready for that round weakened the titanium plate in his arm and he needed to a second operation when he broke the plate opening a window at home.

The second surgery has kept him out of the Czech and Austrian GPs but last week Honda didn’t rule out a possible return at the second race at the Red Bull Ring next weekend.

But after the Austrian GP, Honda confirmed Marquez will sit out the second Red Bull Ring race, with Stefan Bradl continuing to act as replacement rider.

It means Marquez will now target the San Marino GP to make his comeback, the first race of a Misano double-header, which takes place on 11-13 September.

Marquez’s task of defending his MotoGP crown looks increasingly unlikely, with Fabio Quartararo currently leading the standings on 67 points ahead of the Styrian GP, while the Honda rider is still yet to score after crashing out of the opener.

Bradl, who filled in for Marquez at Brno and at the Red Bull Ring this weekend, finished today’s race in 17th place and last out of the riders who reached the chequered flag.

“It was a tough weekend for us, we didn’t have the speed we needed, we were hurt by the sessions that were wet or damp because we still needed to test a lot of parts,” Bradl said.

“This limited our time to prepare for the race, so our situation was not as competitive as it could have been.

“Either way, we learned a lot from the weekend, and we’ll see what happens next weekend when I again get to ride for the Repsol Honda Team. Now it’s time to sit down and analyse the data.”