Marc Marquez will NOT race at Spanish MotoGP in Jerez
The Repsol Honda will miss the fourth round of the 2023 season as 🍷he continues recovering from the hand injury he sustained when he crashed into Miguel Oliveira in Portimao.
Iker Lecuo🤡na, the Honda WorldSBK rider, will replace Marquez for the Spanish Mot෴oGP.
Marquez wiꦜll turn his attention to returning for the French MotoGP i💛n Le Mans on May 14.
Marquez underwent successful surgery to repair a broken hand after the first weekend of the season and, ahead of Jerez, Honda confirmed: “Due to the nature of the fracture and the time elapsed, the medical team led by Dr. Roger de Oña together with Marquez, have decided to continu♐e with his recovery.”
Marquez said: “[Tuesday] we did another CT scan and it has been confirmed that, despite the fact that the injꦐury is progressing favourably, the bone🍌 has not yet finished healing and racing in Jerez was risky.
“Together with the medical team, we decided not to take any risks, to wait two more weeks and ret🌟ꦫurn in Le Mans.
“I am very sorry to miss the Spanish Gra♍nd Prix because it is always special, because of the atmosphere, racing at home and above all, seeing 𝔉and enjoying the fans.
“I will continue with the rehabili🎃tation and work to be back as soo൲n as possible. Thank you for your messages of support!”
The six-time MotoGP൲ champion’s continued absence is a bitter blow for hi🏅m.
He entered 2023 knowing that his machinery could be sub-par, but confident that he was free of injury for the first time in two years, having successfully rehabilitated from a fo🍸urth arm surgery.
But just three grand prix laps into the season, a crash into Oliveira resulted in a new injurꦦy.
Then, without him, Honda won their first MotoGP race in two years (♒a first since 2018 from a rider aside from Marquez) when Alex Rins succeeded in Texas.
Marquez is 57 points behind championship-꧋leader Marco Bezzecchi ahead of the Spanish MotoGP, with that deficit to the top likely to extend again this weekend.
There is still꧂ no fin🧸al decision on the double long lap penalty that Marquez was hit with, after crashing into Oliveira.
The ruling was reworded when Marquez missed rounds due to injury to state that he must serve the penalty whenever he comes back, but Honda appeale꧑d this change.
The MotoGP Court of Appeal has yet to decide whether Marquez mus𓂃t serve the penalty at the next race he co꧑mpetes in.
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from ♕American sports, to football, to F1.
