Marc Marquez to miss 2021 MotoGP opener
The Spanish riders quest to reclaim the world title has hit a hurdleSix-time MotoGP champion Marc Marquez will miss the 2021 opener in Qatar this weekend, as he continues to battle injury.
The Spanish rider’s medical team concluded that it would be better for him to focus on his recovery instead of racing at the Losail circuit.
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Marquez last raced July 2020 at the opening round, when he crash spectacularly at the Jerez circuit in Spain. The incident left him with a badly fractured right arm which required multiple surgeries.
Further complications arose, and Marquez required more surgery for an ‘infected pseudoarthrosis of the right humerus.’ That surgery was 15 weeks ago, and while Marquez has since returned to training, it appears he and his team are not taking any chances.
“I would have loved to be able to participate in the opening race of the World Championship,” said the Honda rider. “But we will have to continue working to be able to recover the optimal conditions that allow us to return to competition.”
According to a statement, doctors consider it ‘prudent and necessary’ not to accelerate Marquez’s return after such a long time of inactivity. The team want to avoid putting the humerus at risk in intense competition.
Marquez is set to undergo another medical check on April 12. In the meantime, his competitors will kickstart their 2021 campaign at Losail this weekend. Suzuki’s Joan Mir is the defending world champion, but he will face stiff opposition from a vast field of contenders.
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