Marco Bezzecchi
Marc Marquez suffered the worst years of his MotoGP during the latter stages of his tenure at Honda, and his former mechanic at the team has pinpointed the moment he ‘hit rock bottom’.
After starting his career in the premier class with six world championships in just seven seasons, Marc Marquez’s record took a turn for the worse following a crash at the 2020 MotoGP season-opener.
The highside at Jerez saw the Spaniard break the humerus bone in his right arm, forcing him to undergo multiple surgeries in the ensuing years.
The additional operations came after the factory Ducati star attempted to return to racing with his then-factory Honda team just one week later.
Marquez’s physio regrets not forcing him to remain on the sidelines at the time, which arguably was the catalyst for his prolonged rehabilitation period.
- READ MORE: Marco Melandri claims Marc Marquez’s injury could actually improve his 2026 MotoGP title chances
Fill in the blank: Marc Marquez would have won _ titles without his arm injury
Santi Hernandez recalls when Marc Marquez ‘hit rock bottom’ at Honda
During DAZN’s latest documentary detailing Marquez’s rise from the hospital bed to becoming the 2025 title-winner, Santi Hernandez, the Spaniard’s former crew chief at Honda, solemnly gave his first-hand perspective on the period.
Referencing Marquez’s worries about his arm never fully recovering from the injury and the subsequent questions he had over his future competitiveness, Hernandez said via Motorsport Espana, “That’s just how it is, it’s never going to be the same as before.
“But you realise you’re coming back, and you say, ‘Wow, maybe this wasn’t the solution. Maybe my time has come, maybe it’s me.’ You start to doubt yourself, and you see that the results aren’t coming.
“Falling, one after another, there comes a point where you ask yourself: ‘It’s me. Maybe it’s me. Maybe my sporting career is over. I have to close this chapter now, maybe I should go home.'”
“These are moments when you see Marc hit rock bottom. In Germany in 2023…” Hernandez breaks down following these words, and can’t continue speaking, highlighting how much of an effect the ordeal had on everyone close to the star.
Fellow Honda chief Harry Lloyd also points towards that race weekend as Honda’s ‘lowest point’ with Marquez on their roster.
Neil Hodgson shares a similar sentiment to the Honda personnel, previously detailing how he ‘genuinely’ thought Marquez was going to retire after he crashed for the fifth time of the weekend at the Sachsenring.
- READ MORE: Marc Marquez’s mother shares how his 2025 injury has changed his approach since Honda crash
Marc Marquez cancelled his 2025 winter break holidays in order to recover fully from his broken collarbone
After tying up his seventh world championship in the premier class this year, the Ant of Cervera was forced to retire from the season early due to a broken collarbone sustained at the Indonesian Grand Prix.
A quick return was hindered after doctors found that Marquez needed one of the screws in his arm repaired, something that the Spaniard was wary of revealing at the time of discovery.
He has since been on the mend and missed MotoGP’s post-season test because of it. A return to full fitness ahead of the upcoming season is the main thing on his mind at the moment.
In fact, Marquez cancelled all of his holidays during the winter break in order to make sure that he is ready to get back on his bike when the first pre-season test in Malaysia comes around.
The Spaniard is hoping to secure the title again in 2026, and finally boast more world titles than his nemesis, Valentino Rossi.
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