‘Very strong sense’ Ducati rider Marc Marquez has ‘important’ date in mind for his injury return

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Ducati rider Marc Marquez has undergone a successful operation to fix his collarbone injury, which will force him to miss at least the next rounds in Australia and Malaysia.

The Borgo Panigale brand have confirmed that Michele Pirro will replace Marquez at Phillip Island for this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix. But Ducati are yet to decide who will step in for the 32-year-old at the Sepang International Circuit for next week’s Malaysian Grand Prix.

Ducati could call up a World Superbike rider to replace Marquez for Sepang, with the WSBK season concluding this week at Jerez. The Bologna Bullets might also face having to replace the 2025 MotoGP champion for the final two races in Portugal and Valencia after his injury.

Marquez sustained a collarbone injury on the first lap of the Indonesian Grand Prix, when he was taken out from behind. Aprilia star Marco Bezzecchi crashed into Marquez at Mandalika as the Italian misjudged his speed compared to the Spaniard’s at Turn 7 earlier in October.

Ducati rider Marc Marquez aims to return from injury for the 2025 post-season Valencia test

Ducati and Marquez initially hoped he would avoid an operation. But the Cervera native was forced to undergo an operation for the coracoid fracture to surgically stabilise and repair the acromioclavicular ligaments in his shoulder, after failing to show enough progress in a week.

READ MORE: Everything to know about Ducati from the MotoGP team’s riders to hierarchy

Now, Ducati face an anxious wait to learn when Marquez can return from his injury, with just four rounds of the 2025 MotoGP season to play. And David Emmett reports on Paddock Pass that there is a “very strong sense” that Marquez is keen to return at the Valencia Grand Prix.

MotoGP goes to Valencia for the season finale on November 14-16, and Marquez is eager to pass a fitness test to return at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo. The 32-year-old is not desperate to race in Valencia as such, but he is striving to take part in the post-race test on November 17.

The 2025 post-season Valencia test is “the most important date” left on this term’s calendar for Marquez, who won the riders’ championship with five rounds spare in Japan. Ducati will use the data they register testing at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo to finalise their bike for 2026.

Marc Marquez could beat fears that he may face a 16-week collarbone injury recovery

While Marquez aiming to return from his collarbone injury at the Valencia Grand Prix would see him miss three rounds, it would be far from the worst-case scenario for Ducati. Dr Pedro Luis Ripoll has suggested that Marquez might need 16 weeks to fully recover from his injury.

Ripoll believes four months would be the “starting point” for Marquez’s recovery due to the severity of the Cervera native’s injury. So, a timeline of just 32 days between his surgery this Monday and the first day of the Valencia GP weekend on November 14 would be a positive.

That said, Ducati will not want Marquez to rush back from his injury if the 2025 champion’s collarbone has not healed sufficiently. The Borgo Panigale crew would no doubt fear a crash in Valencia aggravating the injury and forcing Marquez to spend the winter trying to get fit.