What Does the Future Hold for Marc Márquez?

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Marc Márquez has learned from his mistakes in 2020, and when he returns in 2021 he will be at 100 percent. (MotoGP/)

Under the Christmas tree Marc Márquez finds bandages, painkillers, and his personal physiotherapist Carlos J. García, who has moved to the new house the eight-time world champion recently built close to his parents’ home in Cervera (Lleida, Spain). The Honda rider’s hard winter started last week when Márquez was dismissed from Ruber International Hospital in Madrid after the third operation to his humerus, the fifth delicate, painful surgery he has had in the last two years.

This latest chapter in his ordeal, from an arm injury that ruled him out of the 2020 MotoGP World Championship season, came on December 3, when the Spanish rider underwent 11 hours of surgery to remove a previously inserted plate and replace it with a new one using a bone graft from his hip. The operation was necessary due to the slow healing of the humerus, which had been operated on July 21 and August 3, following his July 19 injury at the Jerez GP and his failed effort to return on July 25, respectively. To further complicate matters, an update on Márquez’s third postoperative situation revealed a previous infection in the fracture, which required Márquez to undergo antibiotic treatment in the coming weeks.

The Champion’s Urge

“When can I return back on track?” was Márquez’ first question when he opened his eyes after the long surgery at the Madrid hospital. It was exactly the same question he asked July 21 at the Dexeus Barcelona Hospital in Barcelona following his crash at Jerez in the first race of the 2020 season.

“That time, Dr. Charte and Dr. Mir should have stopped me, being more realistic,” the rider confesses.

The 40 push-ups Márquez performed the day after his first surgery in an attempt to show the world that he was invincible came with a very high price. “The doctors told me that the plate could resist. For this reason, I returned to the track two days after the surgery,” Márquez says. “When I jumped on my Honda I didn’t have doubts. I trusted the doctors. I’m brave but not reckless.”

In a championship that saw nine different winners out of 14 GPs, Márquez could have come back a month later with a chance to chase the title. His crazy premature effort to return to Jerez 2 cost him the whole 2020 season and put a big question mark on 2021.

Just days after surgery to repair his broken arm, Márquez returned to the track for the second round at Jerez. It would be his last race of 2020. (MotoGP/)

According to the doctors, in fact, to fully recover from his third operation Márquez needs to wait at least five months, meaning the Honda rider would miss the winter test and the first three races of the 2021 season (at Qatar, Argentina, and Texas). This time Márquez has learned his lesson.

“I will be back when I will be able to ride as I’m used to riding, to take the same risks. It would have no meaning to return earlier.”

Márquez’ thoughts go back to that premature return that prevented him from fighting for his ninth title, the one that would have equaled Valentino Rossi. “I’m not crazy. If the doctors had told me there was a risk that the plate could break while riding at 300 kph, I would not take that risk. It was too premature. The plate actually broke at home, but this was the result of excessive stress.” Lesson learned.

Márquez is not new to overcoming difficult moments that could affect his motivation and state of mind. At the end of the 2011 season, as he was close to winning the Moto2 title, he had an incident that put his career in serious jeopardy. In an absurd accident at Sepang circuit (the marshals did not warn that the track was flooded) he suffered a fall that paralyzed the fourth nerve of his right eye, causing double vision for many months. Márquez thought that perhaps his career had come to an end. On the contrary; it was the prelude to an impressive streak that saw him winning the Moto2 title in 2012, followed by six MotoGP crowns.

Calm Is the New Mantra

“I understood that as riders we have a strength that can become a weakness: We have a different perception of risk, of danger. So it’s up to those who are around us to open our eyes. Now you will see me back when I will be at 100 percent,” Márquez says.

“At this moment we are not thinking about the 2021 season,” Márquez’s manager Emilio Alzamora says. “If, as the doctors say, this third operation has fixed the issues of the second one, we are going in the right direction. Marc is the first to tell us to be calm. This is what we learned from this tough experience.”

What Future for Honda

Honda HRC, team principal Alberto Puig, and Repsol were all-in this past July and still are at the side of the Spanish champion. They are waiting for their rider through one more winter. In addition, Márquez has a stellar contract with the Japanese manufacturer through 2024. But the atmosphere is not so relaxed in Japan.

Who will follow the winter development now that it is sure that Márquez will be out of competition for four to five months? At this moment, the most experienced Honda rider is Taka Nakagami, who in 2021 will be in his fourth season with the Honda LCR Team. Taka was a great surprise this year.

“From Jerez 2 onward, it was impressive the attention I received from the Honda engineers. Not only new parts were coming, but sometimes up to 10 engineers were in our satellite garage. I had never experienced anything similar.”

Honda’s efforts paid off as Taka grew quickly. “I started studying Marc’s data of the previous year and I understood that his way of riding was the only effective one with the RC213C. I tried to follow Marc’s style as much as possible.”

The results? One pole position and several front rows on the 2019 machine. Next year Nakagami will have a new machine. “I will continue to adopt Marc’s style and possibly look at Marc’s data. Regarding the development of the bike, as a satellite rider I have never done it. I haven’t any information from HRC so far.”

Alex Márquez will be in his second year and will be moved to the LCR team. His contract is still with the factory, but to think that he will follow the development seems very premature. “My target is to continue learning, and in the LCR squad I will have the possibility to continue my learning curve without pressure. My target next season is to finish regularly in the top eight,” Alex said at Honda’s presentation of the 2021 programs.

All eyes will be on Pol Espargaró, who will replace Alex in the factory squad. To his credit, Pol has developed through his experience at KTM, but he is new to Honda. It would be a risk to assign him such an important task as development before he adapts to a Japanese machine that is not so rider-friendly. The memory of Jorge Lorenzo’s flop with Honda is still vivid in the Tokyo HQ.

The urge to return to competition cost Márquez his 2020 season, winter testing, and the beginning of the 2021 season. (MotoGP/)

Andrea Dovizioso is another possible name on the table. The former Ducati rider has decided to take a gap year, but his experience in the Honda factory team (2010-2012) could be extremely helpful. Simone Battistella, Dovizioso’s manager, has as yet received no phone call, but Dovi seems a logical and effective choice. The Honda mentality doesn’t change, and on his return Márquez will have pressure from the company on his shoulders. The sooner Honda decides on its winter plans, the better it will be for the eight-time world champion.

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