For the second consecutive race, Marc Márquez got off the bike and chose not to race. He did it at the Sachsenring last Sunday, after accumulating five crashes and three injuries, and he repeated it yesterday at Assen, suffering from a disabling second rib fracture. Twice in a row the Catalan puts his foot down, something unprecedented in his long career, an unequivocal sign that the eight-time world champion is not well. Neither physically nor mentally. Márquez is forced to stop. For how long?
Suddenly, the man from Cervera gets off the bike until August 4, coinciding with the summer break. “In just four months I have had many injuries and this month and a half [without races] comes in handy for me. I need to stop, physically and mentally rebuild myself, because I am in one of the worst moments of my career”, commented 93, who reported early in the morning that he would not race in Assen.
He realized when he got up. “I had a bad night, after the Sprint I was sad and in pain. I have suffered it at night. In the morning I went to the medical center to tell them that I didn't want to run, they saw that the rib fracture had moved a bit and it's time to rest”, related Márquez.
Added to his refusal was the "unfit" statement from the MotoGP medical officer, Dr. Ángel Charte, who after examining him did not allow him to go out on the track. “The rib fracture had increased and had moved further up, with the risk that this entails because it can affect the parietal pleura and give rise to respiratory processes, pneumothorax... I have decided that he cannot run, by pure and hard, not of another kind."
So, getting off the bike, Márquez saved himself another ordeal on the Honda, a useless effort, a mediocre result starting 17th and, with so much mistrust, a high risk of falling that would only have aggravated his crisis.
"It is one of the worst moments on a mental level," he admitted on Saturday, and he repeated it yesterday. After carrying out "one of the best pre-seasons", fully recovered physically from his fourth arm operation, the Repsol Honda rider started the World Championship on the wrong foot: an accident in Portugal, a fractured right thumb and suspension, and three races absent (Argentina , Austin and Jerez). He reappeared at Le Mans and crashed again in the race, like at Mugello. And again to the ground at Sachsenring –five falls and low on Sunday– and in Assen.
In short, Marc has only been able to compete in four of the eight Grand Prix and has suffered 14 crashes. His confidence is minimal.
“I already said that on a professional level it is one of my hardest moments, but the personal is compensating for it, it is what is saving me. It's the only thing I hold onto to turn this situation around. I am in one of my best moments, calmer and happier, supported by my family, my brother, my partner, my manager and the team that surrounds me. It's compensating the balance and I'm sure it'll give me the strength to keep pushing. Let's see if we can catch a different inertia at Silverstone”, Marc hopes.
Regarding his future at Honda, Márquez leaves the door open: “They have taught me not to make decisions on the spur of the moment; I need these holidays, to be at home calmly, to reflect and at Silverstone to get back on the bike and see if the situation changes or not”. Although he sent a message to Honda: "On Saturday I raced with the same bike as in Portimão, because little things have been arriving that have not worked and that is where responsible people must make decisions."
The team boss, Alberto Puig, also referred to the future of Márquez at Honda with a significant: "Honda is not a company that wants to have people who are not happy inside."
