Marc Marquez “decided not to race last night, most difficult moment"

The Repsol Honda star suffered the injury last Sunday at Sachsenring, when he was thrown from his RCV during a warm-up highside, his fifth accident of what has tradionally been one of his most competitive events.

Subsequent medical checks suggested the rib was only cracked, and Marquez returned for Assen. But after pain throughout Friday and Saturday - when he qualified and then finished just 17th in the Sprint, a Sunday morning scan then confirmed the rib was fully fractured, but Marquez had already decided not to race the night before.

• Assen: Latest MotoGP Results
• Assen: Latest Moto2 Results
• Assen: Latest Moto3 Results

“Of course, I had a very deep medical check in Madrid on Tuesday and everything was fine. The thing is that the ankle and the finger as we know was broken. But with the rib, sometimes it’s difficult to understand if it's a crack or completely broken,” Marquez explained.

“They thought it was just a small crack. But already on Thursday I said that I feel some pain on the rib and then Friday night it was worse. And yesterday after the Sprint race was even worse again, especially around 8-9pm the pain started to increase, increase, increase.

“Then I couldn't sleep. And that is when I decided that I will not race today.

“Then when I got up I went straight away to the Medical Centre to say to them that I'm not able to ride. They rechecked the rib. And in fact, it's broken. Even if it’s moving only two millimetres. So now I have one month and a half to rebuild everything, physical side and mental side.”

Marc Marquez: “The most difficult moment of my career, cannot decide my future now”

The 2023 season was billed as Marquez’s return to fitness after years of torment following his accident at Jerez 2020, which broke his right arm and dominance of the MotoGP World Championship.

It began brightly with a pole position and Sprint podium in Portimao, but a braking mistake in the main race saw Marquez smash into Miguel Oliveira, injuring them both.

It was the first visible sign of the Honda’s unforgiving, knife-edge performance, which would leave three of its four riders injured by Mugello, including COTA winner Alex Rins.

Having missed three events due to the complicated thumb fracture at Portimao, Marquez then crashed out of the Sunday races in Le Mans and Mugello upon his return.

The nadir came at Sachsenring, a track where Marquez was always able to rise above his machinery and had been unbeaten on his previous 11 appearances. But that invincibility was shattered with five accidents, seventh on the grid and eleventh in the Sprint, before withdrawing due to his injuries.

Taking a relatively risk-free approach at Assen due to a rib fracture and battered confidence, Marquez qualified 17th on the grid, where he finished the Sprint. The #93 still suffered two falls this weekend, the first when trying to keep up with Maverick Vinales and the second when he ran into the back of Enea Bastianini in qualifying.

“It never rains but it pours” Marquez said of the clash.

All of which has only added to speculation that the 30-year-old could consider leaving Repsol Honda, the team he has raced for since he joined MotoGP in 2013. 

Marquez insisted now is not the time to make such decisions.

“I'm in a very deep moment and I cannot think about this [now],” he said. “You cannot decide your future or things when you are in that condition. Now I need to rebuild my body, my mental side, during this month and a half.

“I'm in the most difficult moment of my career. Lucky, very lucky, that I'm [also] in one of my best moments in my personal life, with a very good team around me. Everything is stable and this helps a lot. It’s the only way that is helping me to keep pushing and keep believing that I can do it.”

Pressed on whether he would only ever ride for a factory MotoGP team, Marquez repeated:

“At the moment I cannot consider all these kinds of things. During these deep days. First of all, I need to breathe. I need to think. I need to speak with my people, and then I need to ride the bike again in a good physical condition.

“Of course I need to change a bit the approach because at the moment we are not ready to fight for the top and if you try, I mean, you cannot fight against the wall.

“If something is not ready, then you must accept.

“I'm a fighter and I will try to keep pushing in every condition, in every situation I will have in the future. You know me, I will try to do my maximum, doesn't matter which is the place, the colours, the name, the position. I will keep pushing always to my maximum.”

2024 is the final year of Marquez’s big money four-year HRC deal, agreed while at the height of his powers in early 2020.

Speculation continues that mutual sponsor Red Bull could broker a deal for Marquez to join KTM in future, the factory he began his world championship career with in 125cc.

While Honda’s form continues to flatline, the Austrian factory has emerged as Ducati’s main rival, but may see Marquez as the final piece needed to clinch the MotoGP crown.