The Sprint Slips Away at Sepang, but Alex Marquez’s Shoulder Is the Real Concern

Alex Marquez made a mistake today and crashed, throwing away pole position. But there’s another, far more serious problem for the Spanish rider...

After taking pole position (his first in over a year), he was certainly hoping for a different ending. Instead, Alex Marquez crashed while leading the MotoGP Sprint at Sepang, throwing away a race in which he could have done really well, despite the uncertainty surrounding the rain that arrived later. It was a small mistake with a big cost, and the Gresini rider isn’t making excuses: he takes full responsibility for what happened. But there’s another concern weighing on him far more heavily: his right shoulder, injured in the terrifying crash in Catalunya, is still causing problems and may require surgery. The injections he’s been relying on to keep going are becoming less effective, and Marquez is considering surgery after this GP, which would mean missing next weekend’s Qatar round to recover before returning for the season finale.

"I made a small mistake, but in this heat and with the grip level quite low, we were on the limit, and that was the result." As mentioned, the reigning MotoGP runner-up isn’t making excuses for the crash that ruined his Sprint in Malaysia, although he admits it caught him somewhat by surprise. "I wasn’t expecting it at that corner," he admitted, according to Motosan. "Maybe I was too optimistic and confident after pole position. A small mistake that kept us from fighting for the win. It’s a lesson for tomorrow." He can still take satisfaction from the pole position he secured in the morning (overnight in Italy), his first in a season marred by physical problems. Fortunately, today’s crash didn’t result in any injuries—and that’s just as well, given he already has a serious problem to deal with...

All the riders injured in those two serious crashes at Montmeló are still feeling the effects of their respective injuries. Alex Marquez, as we well remember, is one of them. "Since I came back, I’ve been getting injections before every race. But they’re becoming less and less effective, and I’m having more problems, whether it’s because of the plate, the bursitis I have, or everything else," he admitted. He is keeping a close eye on the situation, but hasn’t ruled out having surgery sooner rather than later. "Dr. Samuel Antuño and I are looking at not just the X-ray, but the whole issue with the bursitis as well," he explained. "They operated on my collarbone, but they didn’t properly examine what was wrong with my shoulder. I need to be patient, but I can’t carry on like this for much longer." For now, tomorrow brings the full-length Malaysian GP race; after that, we’ll know what Alex Marquez decides. Surgery, however, seems increasingly imminent and inevitable.