Marco Bezzecchi
Max Biaggi believes Marc Marquez’s instincts to return from injury as soon as possible will not do him “any favours”, after undergoing operations on his shoulder and his toe.
Ducati will be without Marquez this weekend at the Catalan Grand Prix, after he went under the knife on Sunday after fracturing the fifth metatarsal in his right foot in the Sprint Race at the French Grand Prix. The Spaniard had a huge highside at Turn 13 on the penultimate lap.
Marquez used travelling to Madrid on Sunday after being declared unfit for the French GP to also have another operation on his right shoulder to try to resolve the ongoing issues he has had since October. He had planned to have the surgery on his shoulder after the Catalan GP.
Seven-time MotoGP champion Marquez has been riding with discomfort in his shoulder this season, as a screw from a previous injury got bent in his crash at the 2025 Indonesian Grand Prix and had started to touch the radial nerve – which was only an issue while he was riding.
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Max Biaggi urges Marc Marquez to sit out the Italian Grand Prix after his toe and shoulder surgeries
Marquez had not told Ducati about his pre-planned shoulder surgery until it became known following his crash in the Le Mans Sprint on Saturday. Team manager Davide Tardozzi stated that “everything went well” with Marquez’s latest surgeries, but he will not be in Barcelona.
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At the earliest, Marquez could return from his latest injury woes for the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello on May 29-31. But Biaggi suggests that Marquez should not return in Italy, because the “gruelling” nature of Mugello would make it very hard for the Spaniard to perform well.
“Mugello is definitely one of the most gruelling tracks in the world championship,” Biaggi told Sky Sports Italy
“Returning there when you’ve just had two operations… you don’t even have a proper training routine, because if it’s been cut short by the operation, it won’t be easy for him.
“So, expecting him to be 100% fit, I don’t believe we’ll see him back on track, but we have to give him the time he needs.
“Mugello certainly doesn’t do him any favours as a track, but you know that riders tend to come back as soon as possible because the points count. Ultimately, you need to move up the standings.”
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Tardozzi revealed prior to the French GP after Marquez’s injury that Ducati will not name a replacement rider for this weekend’s Catalan GP, leaving Francesco Bagnaia as the factory outfit’s sole rider. Test rider Michele Pirro would have been Ducati’s only option to stand in.
Should Marquez adhere to Biaggi’s advice and also sit out the Italian GP at the end of May, then Ducati will have to consider calling Pirro up. Nicolo Bulega cannot replace Marquez in Catalunya or at Mugello as both rounds will clash with the World Superbike Championship.
Bulega cannot stand in for Marquez at the Catalan GP this weekend as the World Superbike season heads to Most in Czechia. The World Superbike Championship will also be racing at MotorLand Aragon on May 29-31 when MotoGP heads to Mugello for Ducati’s home race.
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