MotoGP: Marc Marquez to miss Argentina Grand Prix

Marc Marquez has been declared unfit and will miss the Argentina Grand Prix after Portimao crash.

Marc Marquez will miss the Argentina Grand Prix after requiring surgery to repair the broken first metacarpal in his right hand. Marquez received surgery immediately on the hand at the Ruber International Hospital in Madrid.

The surgery consisted of a closed reduction of the fracture and internal fixation of the same with two screws and passed without incident.

The fracture was discovered on Marquez’s return to Madrid, after returning home from Portugal. Currently, there is no timeline on when the eight-time World Champion will return to MotoGP.

The incident happened on lap three of the Portuguese Grand Prix where Marquez locked the front tyre at turn three. In fourth position, Marquez hit the side of Jorge Martin and Miguel Oliveira. This crash would take both Miguel Oliveira and himself out of the race.

All three riders were injured in the collision, with Marquez requiring surgery on his first metacarpal in his right hand. Miguel Oliveira suffered from a contusion on his right upper leg, and Martin suffered from a broken toe.

Marquez also received a double long-lap penalty from the MotoGP stewards for the collision. The penalty must be served in the longer Sunday race and cannot be served in a Sprint Race.

Speaking about the incident, Marquez said: “First of all, I want to say that I am very sorry to Oliveira, his team and the Portuguese fans because it was his race. I made a really big mistake today, of course it was not my intention to have this happen. My intention was not even to overtake Martin at that point, but I had a massive lock with the front. Maybe the hard front was not fully up to temperature, I released the brakes and the bike went inside. 

“I avoided Martin but made contact with Oliveira. I straight away went over to Miguel and then in the medical centre I went to check on him. Fortunately, it looks like he is OK and this is the most important thing. On my side I have some pain in my right hand and with my knee but this is not so important at the minute.

“I fully accept and respect the penalty of the double long-lap during the Argentina GP because I did a mistake.”

Image credit: Honda Racing Corporation