Marco Bezzecchi
Marc Marquez underwent four operations on his arm in two years after a crash at the start of the 2020 season. And now the doctor who played a part in saving his rider has shared his reflections.
The Ant of Cervera fractured his right humerus at the Spanish Grand Prix but tried to return just a week later after surgery. That would prove to be the biggest regret of Marquez’s career as he aggravated the injury.
A subsequent operation ended his season, but didn’t solve the problem. A bone graft was required, highlighting the complexity of the injury.
In the summer of 2022, Marquez announced he would go back under the knife, this time to stabilise his arm. Finally, a lasting solution was found, allowing him to return to the elite level.
Marc Marquez warned doctor that ‘I’m going to fall’ after arm repair
Speaking to El Periodico, Dr. Joaquin Sanchez Sotelo, who performed that fourth procedure on Marquez, hailed his ‘champion’ mentality. He immediately told him to ‘be careful’ when he returned to racing because another fall could be a ‘disaster’.
But Marquez replied that this was an inevitability. The reason he continued with the treatment was so that he could ‘give it his all’ on a MotoGP bike again, and that meant occasionally falling.
The doctor puts Marquez’s comeback down to his ‘enormous determination’. With 11 Grand Prix wins from 17 starts this year, he’s arguably as good as ever.
He said: “Look, at this point in the conversation, I’d like to emphasize that when I met Mr. Marquez in person, I realised I was truly standing before the greatest of champions. He’s a champion, above all, from a mental standpoint.
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“And when I spoke to him after the surgery, I said: ‘Mr. Marquez, I just ask you to be careful when you compete again because if you fall again, this could be a disaster.’
“And he looked at me and said: ‘Doctor, I’m going to fall because if I want to compete at the highest level, and I do, I can’t guarantee that I won’t fall, because I’m having surgery to give it my all.’
“I wasn’t surprised because, as I told you, as soon as I met him, I realised I was facing an athlete with tremendous mental strength and, above all, enormous determination. But it was my obligation to warn him, wasn’t it?
“But, I insist, he was so, so mentally motivated to win again that, in the end, that’s what made him win: his mental strength, the confidence he has in himself and in everything he does. His ability to concentrate is incredible.”
How Marc Marquez’s surgeon reacted when he won the 2025 MotoGP title
Watching the Japanese GP from home, Sanchez Sotelo says he ‘shed a few tears’ when Marquez clinched the championship. The Ducati rider himself broke down as he watched a montage of his comeback.
Marquez received a congratulatory message from his surgeon, who only takes five percent of the credit for his revival.
“I must confess that on Sunday, when I was at home with my wife and children, we watched the race and I was incredibly moved,” he said. “I don’t know if I was as moved as he and his family, but I was very moved, and I won’t deny that I shed a few tears.
“We opened a bottle of champagne, and I immediately sent him a message, and he kindly responded two days later.”
Former teammate Dani Pedrosa says Marquez is no longer the ‘young man’ he once was following his injuries. For the most part, Marquez now rides at the limit, rather than over it, suggesting that he listened to Sanchez Sotelo’s warning three years ago.
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