Marc Márquez will make his MotoGP return at this weekend’s French Grand Prix, after missing the previous three
races due to a broken thumb.
Márquez crashed at the season-opening Portuguese Grand Prix after starting from pole position, taking out Miguel
Oliveira and breaking the metacarpal bone in his right thumb.
The Spaniard underwent surgery to fix the bone with a pair of screws, but the fracture occurred where much of the
braking force is passed.
The screws cannot sustain the pressure supplied by a rider to the brakes, and an early return would have resulted in
reinjury. Márquez’s career would have been cut short if he had suffered another injury to this area of his thumb.
The six-time champion attempted to return in Jerez but was delayed due to medical advice, and Honda has now
announced that he will compete in this weekend’s Le Mans event.
“I am really happy to be back with the Repsol Honda Team, about to ride my bike again,” remarked Márquez. “First
and foremost, I’d want to thank my medical team for their professionalism and counsel over the last two weeks.
“Of course, as a rider, you want to get back as quickly as possible, but with an injury like mine, it was critical to let it
recover.
“Now I’m here, fully focused on riding. I have no concerns about the injury because it is completely healed.
“Let’s see what the French GP brings and, most importantly, work to our maximum.”
While Márquez’s comeback from the long-term injury list is encouraging, numerous other riders are still sidelined
with uncertain return dates.
Pol Espargaró is the first to be involved in a horrific crash at the season-opening Portuguese Grand Prix in March.
Late Friday afternoon at Portimão, a Gas Gas rider crashed into the far fence and sustained serious injuries.
It is uncertain when Espargaró will return to competitive play, but the team’s early projection of a June return
appears to be overly optimistic, based on the Spaniard’s most recent social media post.
“It’s been like a month and a week after the crash, and I can talk a little bit,” he wrote on Instagram late last week. “I
am saying this because I shattered my jaw in two parts.
