Marco Bezzecchi
MotoGP fans are urging Marc Marquez of Ducati to sit out potentially the rest of 2026 after confirming he will need surgery, after fracturing his foot in the Sprint at Le Mans.
Marquez crashed at the penultimate corner on the penultimate lap of the Sprint Race at the French Grand Prix on Saturday in a violent highside that destroyed his Ducati GP26. The 33-year-old lost the front end on the entry to the corner, and his bike flicked once it found grip.
Seven-time premier class champion Marquez initially prevented a crash when his front tyre folded as he turned in for Turn 13. But the Spaniard was helpless to prevent his subsequent highside, as he was thrown out of his seat when his bike re-gripped before the bigger crash.
The ferocity of the crash wrecked Marquez’s bike, with the rubber on his rear tyre breaking from the rim on the first of a total of five full rotations. Yet Marquez was able to walk away from the crash, before visiting the medical centre where it was confirmed he broke his foot.
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MotoGP fans urge Marc Marquez to sit out the rest of 2026 after fracturing his foot at Le Mans
Marquez will now undergo surgery on his foot, which will rule him out of the French GP this Sunday, as well as next weekend’s Catalan Grand Prix, after fracturing the fifth metatarsal in his right foot. Marquez will also use this surgery to have a second operation on his shoulder.
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Given that Marquez’s shoulder injury was more serious than Ducati expected, after suffering a coracoid fracture and ligament damage in the 2025 Indonesian Grand Prix, many MotoGP fans now hope that the Spaniard takes his time to fully recover before he returns to action.
A MotoGP fan reacted on Reddit to the news that Marquez will require surgery on his foot by noting: “I can only hope that Marc doesn’t think he has a shot at this year’s title, so that he doesn’t rush to come back needlessly. He really needs to heal this time.”
Another fan noted: “Get well soon Marc! This season is a write off for him already, hope he comes back strong and just cruise until next year and see how it goes with the new regs.”
One MotoGP fan even suggested that Marquez should consider sitting out the remainder of the 2026 season in order for his shoulder and foot to fully recover. They said: “For how he could’ve ended up with his head pointed towards the ground, this is the lesser of two evils.
“A fifth metatarsal fracture is extremely common, full recovery is six-12 months, even if it could be severe, it is definitely the best outcome he could’ve got. I hope he takes a break, maybe sits this season out completely and not just two GPs.”
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The idea that Marquez should “take the rest of the year off” was one shared among MotoGP fans, given that he has “nothing to gain” by returning too soon. Marquez already endured a torrid ordeal once in his career when he tried to return from his horrific arm injury in 2020.
Given the years of misery that Marquez went through with Honda after requiring multiple surgeries on his arm following his highside in the 2020 Spanish Grand Prix, the idea that his 2026 season should not continue until he is fully fit resonated with swarms of MotoGP fans.
A fan also said: “Marquez was never healthy this year! He should not get back on a bike until he is fully fit. Another year like his last at Honda battling through this would end his career.”
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