Marc Marquez puts the comeback on hold and reveals: "Barcelona? I was paralyzed

Green light to run in FP1 of the Italian GP, but the reigning champion doesn’t want to raise expectations: the rivals won’t relax.

Marc Marquez will be able to get back on his Ducati Desmosedici GP26 in the first MotoGP free practice session at Mugello. The doctors who examined him today deemed him fit to race, although he will still have to undergo another medical check after FP1. There shouldn’t be any issues completing the Italian Grand Prix weekend, but there’s curiosity to see at what level the Ducati rider will be, after his double in 2025. He has undergone two operations, one on his right foot and one on his right shoulder, so he cannot be at 100% physically.

Asked at the Mugello Circuit about the comeback he needs to make in the MotoGP riders’ standings, where he trails leader Marco Bezzecchi by 85 points, the Spaniard explains that he has another priority at the moment: "I’m not ready yet to mount any comeback. The comeback I have to make - reports Motosan - is to build my future: get back to feeling good and feeling that I can ride a MotoGP bike at the highest level. In the first races it was impossible: I managed it, I don’t know how, which is why I wasn’t consistent. Now I’m regaining my physical condition".

Marquez is focused on fully recovering physically; once he is where he wants to be, he’ll have a clearer target in terms of results: "I know that if I can rebuild an acceptable physique, especially this right arm, and make it work more or less well, then the speed will come. At the moment, if I think about the championship, the only thing I’ll achieve is creating more situations that put my body at risk of injury. It can always happen—when you go on track there’s always a risk—but I have to be very aware of where I am and where I want to get to".

The nine-time world champion explained what the situation with his right arm was before the recent operation: "The arm was giving out on me without pain, I had no warning. The nerve was irritated, the arm would fail, but I had no warning, I wasn’t aware of it. Until the Jerez test I didn’t realize what was happening to me, because with the adrenaline I could see I was running wide, but I didn’t understand why. During the Jerez test I really tried to understand what was happening and I saw that every now and then the arm would give out".

In the MotoGP test at Jerez he focused heavily on understanding what was preventing him from riding at his best, and he got there, supported by the medical exams carried out afterwards: "When I went to the doctors to get thoroughly checked, I discovered that, in the internal rotation position and in all actions that involved closing the armpit, the screw was touching the nerve. Without pain, but it disconnected. I have some doubts about how the situation will evolve, because after the crash in Indonesia there was an operation, now there’s been another, and every time there’s an operation you put the body at risk and create a handicap. But I’m positive and I’m facing everything with the same ambition, the same tenacity and the same perseverance with which I faced all the rehabilitation".

The current Ducati Lenovo MotoGP rider said he has changed on the bike—he had to—also as a result of the issues with his right arm after the bad injury at Jerez 2020: "In the last four years I’ve managed to adapt my riding style to what my body allowed me. If you look at how I rode in 2019 or how I ride in 2025, I’m a completely different rider. I ride very precisely, I try to keep the bike from moving".

Inevitably, there was also talk about what happened to his brother Alex Marquez in the Barcelona race, which Marc watched from home: "In general, that Sunday was a bad experience. I really had a hard time. I was paralyzed in front of the TV when the crash happened. We were very lucky, not only with Alex’s crash, but also with Johann Zarco’s".

Clearly, the involvement of someone dear to him caused a certain shock. Fortunately, there was no tragedy, even if in the moment some feared the worst due to the nasty dynamics of the impact. On Monday the two brothers were able to hug again. Alex will miss both the Italian GP at Mugello and the Hungarian GP at Balaton Park.

The original article with the interview in Spanish on Motosan.es

Marc Marquez’s return was also a topic of discussion at the MotoGP press conference at the Mugello Circuit. Marco Bezzecchi, Fabio Di Giannantonio and Pecco Bagnaia were asked whether they expect the Spaniard to be immediately competitive this weekend and also in the hunt for the world title, despite his current deficit in the standings.

Bezzecchi: "Yes, I think Marc will be extremely competitive. If he’s coming back, it means he’s ready. He’s very smart, he knows what to do. I don’t think you can ever rule the reigning champion out of the title fight, I’m sure he’ll be there too".

Di Giannantonio: "We need the world champion on track. It’s an extra motivation to have the best with us. Surely, you can never keep him out of the title fight; we already saw in 2022 Bagnaia’s comeback from -91. And back then there were no Sprints. Certainly, he’ll be fast and in the fight".

Bagnaia: "If he’s back, I think he can fight. Hard to imagine he’s here just to score points. I spoke with him this morning and he told me he felt pretty good. He’s not worried about the foot, only about the shoulder and the arm, but I think he’ll be strong".

Even if MM93 preferred to keep a low profile, among his colleagues there are those who believe we’ll already see him at a high level this weekend. Now we just have to wait and see what happens.