Ducati unsure if "superhero" Marc Marquez will return for Mugello MotoGP
Marc Marquez’s MotoGP return date remains unclear after undergoing shoulder and foot surgery.
Ducati Lenovo Team manager Davide Tardozzi says it is not yet clear if reigning champion Marc Marquez will be fit to return for the factory's home Italian MotoGP at Mugello.
Marc Marquez underwent "successful" surgery last Sunday after sustaining a foot fracture in his heavy Le Mans Sprint accident.
But the Spaniard also took the opportunity to bring forward a 'secret' shoulder operation, which was originally scheduled for after this weekend’s Catalunya round.
That surgery was required to relieve compression on the radial nerve in Marquez’s right arm, a problem that has left the Spaniard “riding with one and a half arms” so far this season.
Surgeons removed one bent and one broken screw from a previous 2019 operation, plus a bone fragment - damage sustained when Marco Bezzecchi tangled with Marquez at Mandalika last year.
“The surgery went well, especially the one on his shoulder, in addition to the foot,” Tardozzi told Sky Italia in Barcelona on Thursday.
“So we have to wait a little while to understand exactly what his physical potential will be in the near future.”
"Marquez a superhero"
Pressed on whether Marquez will be back for Mugello on 29-31 May, Tardozzi replied:
"The goal is to return as soon as possible, but we don't know when yet. We can't say today if he'll be at Mugello."
Asked by MotoGP.com about what Marquez has been able to achieve despite the nerve problem this season, including two Sprint wins, Tardozzi said:
"Knowing what happened and knowing what the doctor told us, I think Marquez showed again that he is a superhero and super rider.
"He did something incredible because, with his body situation, I guess nobody else was able to do what he did."
Marquez is not being replaced this weekend, meaning Pecco Bagnaia will be the Ducati Lenovo team’s sole rider.
"The rules allowed us not to substitute him for this race, which is a back-to-back," Tardozzi confirmed.
"But if, for some reason, Marc is not able to be in Mugello, for sure we will replace him."
Meanwhile, Tech3’s Maverick Vinales, who recently underwent a similar shoulder-screw removal, is returning to MotoGP action in Catalunya after six weeks on the sidelines.
In this article
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
