Marquez to miss Qatar MotoGP season opener
Honda has announced six-time MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez will not contest the opening round of the 2021 season in Qatar.


Marquez has been out of action since last July when he broke his right arm in a heavy fall during the opening Spanish Grand Prix.
He has since undergone three operations, the last of which coming in December when he had bone grafted onto his humerus from his hip.
He was also treated for an infection in the arm from the second operation he had back in August following an aborted comeback just days after his first surgery at the Andalusian GP.
Marquez’s arm started to show signs of proper recovery following his third operation, with the Honda rider cleared to begin training with bikes again earlier this month.
Despite this, doctors have advised him against racing in this weekend’s opening round of the 2021 campaign in Qatar.
“After the last review with the medical team, the doctors have advised me that the most prudent thing was not to take part in the Qatar Grand Prix and to continue with the recovery plan that we have followed in recent weeks,” Marquez said.
“I would have loved to be able to participate in the opening race of the world championship, but we will have to continue working to be able to recover the optimal conditions that allow us to return to competition.”
Marquez’s doctors’ decision to advise against racing in Qatar was motivated by a desire to avoid putting strain on the still-recovering humerus through “intense competition” following such a length period of inactivity.
He will undergo a further medical check-up on 12 April according to Honda, which rules him out of the Doha GP in Qatar next weekend too. HRC is yet to confirm this, but Marquez revealed it on social media.
"After the last check-up with the medical team, they have advised me not to participate in the two Qatar races so we will continue with the recovery to return to compete as soon as possible,” he wrote on Instagram.
Marquez made his first public appearance with Honda last month at the factory team’s 2021 launch event, and confirmed then racing in the first Qatar race was a target.
However, he conceded this decision will be dictated by advice from his doctors – Marquez giving clear signals he has learned from the mistakes made last July.
Marquez has been in action in Barcelona and at the Algarve Circuit in Portugal riding an RC213V-S Honda track bike over the past week having stepped up his training.
Though Honda is yet to confirm his replacement, his place will be taken by HRC test rider Stefan Bradl, who stood in for the injured six-time world champion from the Czech GP onwards last year.
Read Also:
Related video

Morbidelli’s Yamaha MotoGP upgrades “substantial” for 2021
Marquez "doesn’t trust Qatar" to show MotoGP grid form

Latest news
Why Ducati holds all the power in its MotoGP rider dilemma
OPINION: The French Grand Prix looks to have made Ducati’s decision on its factory team line-up simpler, as Enea Bastianini stormed to his third win of the campaign and Jorge Martin crashed out for a fifth time in 2022. But, as Ducati suggests to Motorsport.com, it remains in the strongest position in a wild rider market
The seismic aftershock of Suzuki's decision to leave MotoGP
Suzuki's sudden decision to leave the MotoGP World Championship at the end of the season has acted as a stirring element in a market that had already erupted. We analyse what this means for the grid going into 2023
How the real Ducati began to emerge in MotoGP's Spanish GP
Ducati’s 2022 MotoGP bike has had a tough start to life and the expected early-season title charge from Francesco Bagnaia did not materialise. But the Spanish Grand Prix signalled a turning point for both the GP22 and Bagnaia, as the 2021 runner-up belatedly got his season underway after a straight fight with Fabio Quartararo
How praise for Honda's MotoGP bike has given way to doubt
In a little over two months, Honda has gone from setting the pace in MotoGP testing with its new RC213V prototype to being at a crossroads - caused by the discrepancy in its riders' feedback. After a Portuguese GP that underwhelmed, serious questions are now being asked of Honda in 2022
Why Quartararo's win was vital not only for his title hopes
Fabio Quartararo got his MotoGP title defence off the ground in the Portuguese Grand Prix as a dominant first win of 2022 rocketed him to the top of the standings. While a significant result in terms of his title hopes, it has come at an even more important time in terms of his 2023 contract negotiations
The MotoGP rookie fighting two fronts in his debut year
Darryn Binder has found himself in the unenviable position as MotoGP's most under-pressure rookie in 2022 having made the step directly from Moto3 with a reputation as an over-aggressive rider. This hasn't been an easy thing to shake at the start of the season, but he believes tangible progress is being made
How ‘Beast’ mode is putting Ducati in 2022 MotoGP title contention
Enea Bastianini’s second win of the 2022 campaign at COTA puts him back in the lead of the standings and once again showed the best Ducati package is still the 2021 bike. Those closest to Bastianini tell Motorsport.com why he’s so good on the GP21 relative to his factory counterparts.
How Espargaro helped Aprilia shed MotoGP's underdog tag
Aleix Espargaro became MotoGP's newest winner in a thrilling Argentina Grand Prix in which he also proved the merits of the Aprilia project. After six years of hard graft, both parties have reaped the rewards they have long thought they deserved. But it was several key moments in that journey that led both to that momentous Sunday at Termas de Rio Hondo.