Four operations in two years. And how much has been said about that decision in Jerez 2020 that changed everything. That July 19, everything turned around for Marc Márquez. He went to the ground in turn 3 of the Andalusian track, causing a fracture in his right arm that, not even thought, was going to give him so many problems. He took it on strongly because he had surgery and returned four days later with the doctors’ approval to get back on the bike and, although he tried, the lack of strength and security on the track made him get off his Honda. After that, what everyone knows: second operation in August after breaking the plaque by opening a window in his house in Cervera.
Since then, His decision for the second race at Jerez has been questioned a lot. The culprits were found, the doctors were discussed and, two years later, Marc himself fully accepts, in a chat with MotoGP.com, the “big mistake” that has given him so many headaches since that crash: “It’s a nightmare because it comes from a big crash in Jerez. It comes from a big mistake. We came back very soon. The doctors, in that case, allowed me. I was told it wouldn’t be a problem and then it was my decision. In the end, the one who makes the decision is the driver, so it was my mistake.
And that ambition could cost him everything he built one day. It’s not hard for him to admit it. Stopping his career “was one of the possibilities” that also tormented him. He leaned on the people closest to him, “especially in the family” and, despite having “a level to run”, the decision was to stop. “Something new in my life” admits the ilerdense, who, once again, he had to put himself in the hands of the doctors. Fourth operation, in the United States and as the last chance to continue in MotoGP. “I saw that there was a solution to improve my personal and professional life”, he explained, with the certainty that he could overcome everything that came. How? “Thanks to passion,” she says.
“Overcoming all this and staying motivated is thanks to passion. My passion for motorcycling is greater than anything in the world. I am not calm if I am watching the races sitting on the sofa. I still feel part of MotoGP and of this whole world. When I’m competing I feel that the level is still there, which is the most important thing”, says Marc, already focused on continuing to accumulate kilometers with the Honda, while his physical condition continues to improve. Stronger than ever, although with nuances: “Of course I have changed a lot. Since 2020 I have learned a lot of different things because after hard times, you get stronger. But not stronger to win, but a stronger person, with a stronger character and mentality. You are constantly evolving, also because you get older and gain experience”. But it all boils down to one sentence: “This new Marc, in the end, is the same Marc, but with more experience.”
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no obsessions
Nobody doubts that this Marc is different. He has matured thanks to the most difficult moments and, despite the fact that the eight World Cups are still under his arm, everything comes to nothing after the injury. For Márquez, you start from scratch: he is becoming more and more comfortable on his Honda and, despite the fact that he is already looking for a first podium or a victory, nothing obsesses him. Everything takes time and everything will come. That’s why he always puts Mike Doohan Example: “Many legends in the past had a bad injury. Without the leg injury (Doohan) would have been world champion? We don’t know, but in the end what he did was amazing.”
“I know what I achieved before the injuries, but now I don’t care. I’ll think about that when I retire. I told my team: if we get through to Q2, we celebrate; if we get the second or third row, we celebrate; if we get a top5, we celebrate. You cannot be at the top every year, there will be some ups and downs”, he admits, although always with “new motivations”: “I am not obsessed with winning another championship again. It may be, the future will tell. We are in a sport where everything has to go the right way: the bike, the team, the rider… It’s not just one thing. So yeah, I’m working really hard to be a stronger Marc.”