Marco Bezzecchi
Concerns about Marc Marquez’s shoulder issues may have to take a backseat to newer injuries he sustained during his FP1 crash.
Marquez’s crash during FP1 on Friday derailed his entire weekend, as the Spanish driver struggled to deliver some much-needed results for Ducati.
There has been speculation that Marquez’s crash was a result of cold tyres. However, that hasn’t been confirmed yet.
Is Marc Marquez’s reaction to his FP1 crash at COTA the biggest hint yet that he could retire from MotoGP in 2026?
Things only got worse during the sprint, as Marquez crashed again, this time into Fabio Di Giannantonio. His P17 finish at Austin came at a cost, as Marquez was handed a long lap penalty for the incident.
In the end, Marc Marquez would finish P5 at the United States Grand Prix. There were concerns that his long-running shoulder issues played a part in his poor weekend. But it appears Marquez has bigger injury concerns.
READ MORE: MotoGP insiders now think 2027 will be even ‘worse’ for Marc Marquez if he stays in the sport
Mela Chercoles claims Marc Marquez’s right forearm injury more severe than shoulder issues
Mela Chercoles spoke with Nico Abad in the aftermath of the United States Grand Prix. When asked about Marc Marquez’s injury issues, especially his shoulder, Chercoles provided an interesting update.
Rather than his shoulder, it’s Marquez’s forearm that has left him in a lot of pain. He suffered an abrasion and has a lot of inflammation in his right forearm that significantly impacted his performance.
“The shoulder is not a problem. The problem was his right forearm after the crash he had on Friday at 192 km/h. That afternoon, he finished first on the timesheets, with a pure champion’s reaction.
“I was fascinated. But on Saturday morning, I ran into him leaving the circuit clinic. He spent more time there than in the pits. I ran into him on Saturday morning, and he said, ‘Let’s see how it goes.’ On Friday, they were worried about how his cervical spine would feel in the morning, as it was very tense.
“But the real problem was in his right forearm. He had suffered a significant abrasion. Neither the ulna nor the radius were affected, but he did have an internal oedema.
“They were also applying anti-inflammatory ointments to eliminate the fibrin. (The doctor) told me. His left hand was a little sore, but it was nothing compared to his right arm.
“He showed it to me. He rolled up his sleeve. The inflammation was very intense and caused a lot of pain. That was Saturday morning.”
READ MORE: Marc Marquez tells Davide Tardozzi ‘I’m struggling’ in raw Ducati garage footage
Marc Marquez crashes into Fabio Di Giannantonio in the COTA Sprint! Does the Ducati rider deserve a penalty?
Marc Marquez knew United States Grand Prix was ‘not the day’ for him
Speaking further about Marquez’s weekend, Chercoles added that after his sprint crash with Di Giannantonio, the Ducati driver knew he wasn’t going to perform well on Sunday.
“In the qualifying session, we saw he didn’t have powerful potential. He finished sixth. Then, in the sprint race, he messed up because he made a mistake. He said to himself that he absorbed the slipstream of the extreme rider in front of him and crashed, taking Di Giannantonio down with him.
“He obviously accepted the long lap penalty for Sunday’s race, which affected his performance. On Sunday morning, I ran into him again… He said to me, ‘Mela, today is not the day.’ I asked ’How are you?’”
Marquez settled for a P5 finish at Austin, a disappointing finish compounded by Aprilia securing a one-two finish behind Marco Bezzechi’s win
After the race, Marquez complained about MotoGP’s dirty air problem, having experienced the issue firsthand while riding in the midfield for much of the weekend.
There is growing concern that Marquez is going to struggle even more this season, as the defending champion finds himself fifth in the championship race right now.
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