Marco Bezzecchi
Marc Marquez could not hold back tears in the Ducati garage as he revealed the true extent of his injuries to Luigi Dall’Igna at the French Grand Prix.
The Spaniard has been struggling in 2026, with his injuries from his crash in Indonesia last year still affecting him. Paddock insiders say Marquez is long past his best, and he suffered another setback at Le Mans.
Marquez had a frightening highside during the Sprint race at the French Grand Prix. He sustained a fracture to his right foot and was ruled out of the race on Sunday and this weekend’s Catalan Grand Prix, as he required surgery.
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It was later discovered that Marquez had surgery already scheduled after the French GP to remove a screw in his right shoulder. It had moved following his Indonesia crash and was touching his nerves.
Marquez had ‘lightning bolts of pain’ before his latest injury, but he kept it a ‘secret’ from Ducati and the media as he wanted to be careful at Le Mans.
Marc Marquez reveals ‘secret’ injuries to Ducati
In behind-the-scenes footage on Ducati’s official YouTube channel, Marquez is seen debriefing with his engineers, including Luigi Dall’Igna. He could not hide his emotions as he tearfully explained the problems he was facing.
He said: “I didn’t say anything,” before his head falls into his hands. “There’s a screw that’s giving me nerve problems. On and off.”
A Ducati engineer then says: “At least you understood the problem.” Marquez continued: Marquez – Yes, but I understood this was happening to me. You can’t ride a motorbike… on and off. I knew this was happening.
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“That’s why the operation was already scheduled after the Catalunya GP. I’m riding with one and a half arms. We need to figure out if we can just do one operation, skip the Catalunya race. They have to remove a broken screw…
“That in the crash in Indonesia… they saw it moved. After Jerez I went for a check-up, I felt something was wrong.
“Actually, when I get into the riding position, that broken screw, after the Indonesian injury, it moved and touches the nerve. The nerve I use for these three fingers, and my whole arm. It takes away my strength.”
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Luigi Dall’Igna urges Marc Marquez to ‘relax’ after French GP crash
The Ducati rider’s return date is currently unclear. Max Biaggi has urged Marquez to miss Mugello as well as Catalunya, and Dall’Igna has also urged his rider to take it easy with his recovery.
“It seems like the right thing to do,” said the Ducati chief about his withdrawal from the Catalan GP. Marquez replied: “This… they both knew a little about it. I asked them not to say it, to keep it a secret.
“I wanted to go through the weekend without thinking about it, or having questions about it. But it’s true that this isn’t working. You can see it in the data.”
“The body always comes first,” Dall’Igna asserts. “Yes, I’ve learned that,” replies Marquez, before Dall’Igna tells the 33-year-old to take care: “Then we think about everything else. Relax, please.”
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