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Marquez back on bike much sooner than expected and might be at Qatar

16 March 2021 at 18:37
Last update 16 March 2021 at 21:16
  • GPblog.com

On the same weekend as the first Formula 1 Grand Prix of 2021, the MotoGP around the corner from Bahrain also holds its first race. The Qatar Grand Prix. An event to look forward to, if only for the possible return of Marc Marquez.

His absence from the championship last season added to the excitement (chances are he'd have won it by a wide margin otherwise), but now it'll be interesting to see how quickly he can return to the sport and how competitive he can be.

Marquez crashed heavily at the first race in Jerez last season, suffering a compound fracture to his arm. He tried to come back later in the year, but the forces on the metal plate holding his arm together were too great and it broke.

Painful complications

Marquez has since had three major operations. During the last one a piece of his pelvis was placed in his arm to make the bone grow faster. As a result of this operation he contracted an infection in his arm, which forced him to stay in hospital for a week.

He was expected to need at least six months to recover, but early February he announced he wanted to be back on the bike at the first test in Qatar. Unfortunately that didn't work out, but earlier this week he made his first metres on a minibike and today he rode his first laps on a customer version of one of his old World Championship bikes.

Whether he'll be at the first race in Qatar is still uncertain, but that's clearly his goal.

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