What Marc Marquez’s doctors discovered about his 2020 arm injury when they operated on his shoulder

Add as preferred source on Google

Marc Marquez is out of action until 2026 after suffering an injury at the Indonesian GP a month ago. The world champion broke his collarbone and damaged ligaments in his shoulder after tangling with Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi.

Marquez originally hoped to return for the post-season test in Valencia. However, after unforeseen surgery, this plan has been abandoned.

It’s the first time the Spaniard has missed races since 2023 – his last four seasons at Honda were heavily disrupted after he broke his arm at the 2020 Spanish GP.

Marquez’s career isn’t under threat this time, as it was then. He’s due to return in January and is entitled to an extra test thanks to the so-called ‘Jorge Martin rule’.

Marc Marquez needed one of the screws in his arm repaired

Speaking to AS, MotoGP doctor Angel Charte confirmed that Marquez’s 2020 injury ‘was not affected at all’ by the Mandalika impact, even though it was the same arm. But he did reveal that one of the screws used to repair the humerus bone was bent, so a repair was required.

It is perhaps fortunate that this was discovered, even if it didn’t pose an immediate threat. Marquez underwent four surgeries on the injury before finding a lasting solution.

As for his shoulder, Charte stressed the importance of caution. Marquez’s entourage was concerned by the ligament damage after seeing riders like Valentino Rossi and, more recently, Maverick Vinales struggle with similar complaints.

• READ MORE: Marc Marquez must thank Jorge Martin for vital MotoGP rule change after season-ending injury

“The previous injury, the one to the humerus, was not affected at all,” said Charte. “They only found a bent screw in the humerus, which was also repaired.

“And the coracoid process has its own story. It might seem like nothing, but it’s an important bone. It’s not that it’s more or less serious, but rather that the recovery needs to be done more cautiously. The position he adopted is the correct one, and it’s the one I would have used.”

Marc Marquez avoided ‘jeopardising his career’ by skipping the rest of 2025

Charte said that Marquez ‘had to’ be patient with his return timeline. Having wrapped up the title in Japan just a week before the fall, there was no need for a ‘pointless gamble’.

Underlining the seriousness of the issue, he said Marquez could have ‘jeopardised his career’ by rushing back. The Valencia test is important in establishing a development direction, but the 32-year-old clearly has the talent to overcome such a setback.

Charte said: “Marquez has done what he had to do, and the injury he suffered isn’t easy. It’s a serious injury because that arm is very damaged after four surgeries. I think he should return when he’s 100%, as he himself said in the video he made. We have to let his body regenerate.

“In his case, coming back earlier would have been a pointless gamble, and that’s not worth it. He would have jeopardised his career by returning too soon.”

After Michele Pirro rode the bike in Australia and Malaysia, World Superbikes star Nicolo Bulega is replacing Marquez for Portugal and Valencia.