ALEX MARQUEZ WITHDRAWS FROM QATAR GP FOR SHOULDER SURGERY

Alex Marquez will miss next weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix to bring forward surgery on his injured right shoulder. After finishing third at Sepang on Sunday, the Gresini rider confirmed he would travel to Madrid for an operation on Monday. He had been weighing up the decision after reports suggested he might sit out Qatar, while the team had not initially confirmed his plans.

The 30-year-old broke his collarbone and damaged his shoulder in a heavy crash at Barcelona in May, undergoing surgery soon afterwards. He has continued training and racing since returning, but the shoulder has become increasingly troublesome, with bursitis adding to his difficulties. “I’ve been training at every race since I returned from the Montmelo crash, and the truth is, I’m having a tough time,” he said. He added that he had raced with painkillers, but they were no longer enough.

The operation will involve removing a large plate from his collarbone and treating the inflammation in his shoulder. “The main problem is the inflammation I have in the shoulder, so it’s two surgeries in one,” Marquez said. He said doctors would drain fluid from the shoulder, explaining: “now I can’t do any work at home. I don’t have muscle, I don’t have nothing.”

Marquez had originally expected to have further surgery at the end of the season, but the worsening symptoms and the strain of consecutive race weekends brought the procedure forward. “It was impossible for me to do three in a row,” he said. He hopes to return at the Portuguese Grand Prix later this month, then race in Valencia. “Now it’s time to do that surgery and come back stronger in Portimao and Valencia.”

He had also questioned travelling to Qatar amid uncertainty surrounding the Iran war. Confirmation that the race would be cancelled would have made his choice easier, but surgery has now ruled him out. The final two rounds are in Portugal and Valencia, with Portimao described as particularly demanding physically. Operating now gives him more than two weeks to recover before the Portuguese race, although his return will depend on his recovery.

The timing also matters for Marquez’s next step: after the Valencia Grand Prix, he is due to make his first appearance on the KTM he will ride next season, at the one-day test. At Sepang, he started from pole and crashed out of the lead in Saturday’s sprint, taking responsibility for the fall and calling it his own mistake. He recovered to finish third in Sunday’s race.