Five years on: How Marc Marquez’s 2020 Jerez MotoGP crash changed him

Marc Marquez says he “takes the positive things” that happened to him in the wake of serious injury in a crash at the 2020 MotoGP Spanish Grand Prix five years on.

Saturday at the 2025 Czech Grand Prix marked the five-year anniversary of eight-time world champion Marc Marquez’s crash that badly broke his right arm at Jerez.

Marquez, then a factory Honda rider, was recovering from an early off while leading to put himself back into podium contention when he crashed heavily at Jerez’s Turn 3 in the closing laps.

He broke his right humerus and went for surgery on the Monday after the race, before sensationally attempting to stage a comeback just a week later at the Andalusian Grand Prix - also being held at Jerez due to COVID-19 restrictions on the calendar.

Having been passed fit to ride by MotoGP’s doctors, he sat out Friday’s running before taking part in practice on Saturday morning.

He ultimately withdrew from the weekend, though the damage to the plate in his arm would require a second operation after it reportedly broken while he was opening a door in his home.

This ruled him out for the rest of the year, with a third operation required towards the back end of 2020 as an infection had been found to be slowing the healing process from the second surgery.

Marquez returned to racing in 2021 and managed three grand prix wins, before a vision injury while training ruled him out towards the end of the year.

He would have a fourth major operation on his right arm in 2022 to correct the humerus as it had rotated over 30 degrees out of position, forcing him to miss the middle part of the season.

Marquez spoke at the time about the operation needing to be done or else he would have to retire from racing.

As his fitness improved, Honda’s machinery didn’t and come the end of 2023 he left the brand he had raced with throughout his MotoGP career to join the Gresini Ducati squad, which ultimately vaulted him into the factory team seat for 2025.

Speaking about the crash five years on, Marquez told motogp.com: “I think Canal+ told me five years ago was the day I crashed in Jerez.

“It’s true that it’s the longest injury I’ve had in my career, the way I came back too early… I just can say that I lost the opportunity to fight for the championship in those three, four years.

“But, at the same time, I gained a lot of experience and I grew a lot in my personal life and in my professional life.

“So, even my character changed a bit. So, take the positive things.”

Coming into Sunday’s 2025 Czech Grand Prix, Marquez leads the championship by 95 points having won 11 of the 12 sprints and seven Sunday races this season.