Marc Marquez remains optimistic about the 2026 MotoGP season despite the shoulder injury that cut his 2025 campaign short, insisting his recovery, not missed track time, will determine his form.
Just a week after being crowned a MotoGP champion for a seventh time in September, Marquez was involved in a heavy crash at the Indonesian Grand Prix, triggered by Aprilia rival Marco Bezzecchi on the opening lap.
The Spaniard was diagnosed with a coracoid fracture and ligament damage on his right shoulder upon returning to Madrid, ruling him out of the final four rounds of the season.
He will also be absent from next week’s Valencia test, meaning he won’t get his first taste of Ducati’s 2026 challenger until February at the earliest.
However, Marquez doesn’t believe the loss of track time will leave him on the back foot next year, instead stressing that his main priority is to start the new season in the best possible physical condition.
“From the moment I crashed, I knew I had something wrong with my shoulder. I know my body because I’ve crashed many times,” Marquez said.
Marc Marquez, Ducati Team
Photo by: Robertus Pudyanto / Getty Images
“I was calm after Indonesia, but worried about the future. My doctors reassured me that if I stick to the recovery schedule, everything will be fine. Whether I’m competitive in 2026 will depend on my physical condition, not on whether I’ve missed one more race or not, or if I don’t participate in the Valencia test.
“It can’t be confirmed yet that I’ll be at the Sepang test, but I hope to be back on a bike much sooner. I’m respecting the recovery schedule, but things are progressing well.”
Marquez’s doctors had initially decided against surgery, instead opting for a ‘conservative treatment plan’ to allow him to regain full fitness.
However, with his injuries “not showing sufficient signs of stabilisation after a week of being immobilised”, Marquez ended up going under the knife in October.
The 32-year-old offered more detail about the immediate aftermath of the crash, while confirming that the injury will not cause any lasting damage.
“When I arrived here in Madrid, they really saw the extent of the injury,” he said. “They warned me that it would take time because ligaments and bones were affected. We knew we could lose five days of recovery, but we opted against surgery.
Marc Marquez, Ducati Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
“The swelling went down, and I woke up one Sunday with my collarbone out of place. They decided to operate, and now we have to respect the recovery time. There won’t be any lasting effects.”
Recently, it was revealed that Marquez still has a broken screw in his shoulder – a remnant of the ordeal that began with his Jerez crash in 2020, which required four surgeries.
“It’s something I live with, from the past. Only my doctors and I know the condition of my arm internally,” he said.
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