"Crushing the riders physically" - the horrific injuries suffered in MotoGP 2023

Enea Bastianini

In the first-ever sprint race in Portimao, new factory Ducati rider was sent flying in a crash involving Luca Marini.

A broken shoulder blade did not need surgery, but it has ruined Enea Bastianini’s season so far.

He aborted a comeback in Spain after the pain felt during Friday practice was too much to overcome.

Purtroppo ho una frattura alla scapola, ma la cosa bella sarà tornare in pista più forte di prima! pic.twitter.com/SRBkYu1qZ9

— Enea Bastianini (@Bestia23) March 25, 2023

The injury meant Bastianini missed four grands prix, three total rounds, and has completed just two out of eight Sunday races this year.

Pol Espargaro

The veteran has yet to appear in a Saturday or a Sunday race in 2023 after major injuries sustained in the first Friday of the year.

Pol Espargaro had a broken jaw, back injuries and lung issues.

His jaw was fractured in two places and was shut for four weeks, leaving him unable to eat afterwards.

“I had eight fractures in my body, two in my ribs, one in my neck, three in my back,” he said.

Espargaro lost a lot of weight through his hellacious recovery which is ongoing.

Aleix Espargaro

The Aprilia rider was reduced to tears in his box due to the pain from a freak cycling accident.

Aleix Espargaro “destroyed” his heel and also injured his back and arm when he fell off his bicycle, because he was using his mobile phone, the day before the Italian MotoGP.

He described being in “crazy pain”, and was visibly hobbling, throughout the weekend.

Marc Marquez

The Repsol Honda rider came through career-threatening arm surgery a year ago but, on the first weekend of 2023, sustained a new injury.

A crash into Miguel Oliveira resulted in a broken thumb, requiring screws to be inserted to heal it, and causing him to miss three rounds.

A number of falls did no harm until a nightmare weekend at the Sachsenring, where he crashed five times and was forced to withdraw from the grand prix with a fracture to his finger. He was also feeling the effects of several bruises after a punishing weekend.

A week later he “aggravated” those injuries at Assen, again withdrawing from Sunday’s race. He also had a painful rib injury, it emerged.

Miguel Oliveira

The RNF Aprilia rider has certainly been unfortunate this year. His season has been largely decimated by physical punishment.

Miguel Oliveira escaped a major injury when Marc Marquez smashed into him in Portimao, but he did sustain a leg injury and missed a round.

He then suffered a dislocated and fractured shoulder, plus ligament damage, when he was wiped out by Fabio Quartararo in Spain.

Joan Mir

The Repsol Honda rider has been sidelined from the past six races, including sprints, due to a “a small bone infraction” on the little finger of his right hand. It was suffered when crashing during practice at Mugello.

Previously, he missed the Argentina MotoGP after crashing a day earlier in the sprint.

Mir avoided a serious ankle injury but “significant discomfort and pain after the heavy impact” forced him to miss the grand prix.

Alex Rins

16 days and 2 surgeries later we are going home!
Those images explain the magnitude of crash and the amazing work of the doctors. It’s been hard but I will get back stronger fisically and mentally Thank you everybody for your messages and for taking care of me!#MotoGP #42ins pic.twitter.com/XNPLxvrR5y

— Alex Rins (@Rins42) June 27, 2023

A big fall in the sprint race at Mugello caused Alex Rins to break his leg.

He required two surgeries to “his tibia and fibula immobilised through an external fixator”.

Rins has missed two rounds and faces a race against time to be fit for Silverstone on August 6.

Fabio Quartararo

He needed surgery on a fractured big toe which was bizarrely injured in a jogging accident. Two days later at the Dutch MotoGP, he hurt an elbow in a crash involving Johann Zarco. Quartararo needed painkillers to get through the Assen weekend.

Francesco Bagnaia

A collision with Maverick Vinales at Le Mans resulted in a small fracture to Francesco Bagnaia’s ankle. Fortunately the factory Ducati rider did not need to skip the Italian MotoGP - he arrived on crutches, but days later duly won the grand prix.

Alex Marquez

A collision with Jorge Martin at COTA left Alex Marquez with a ruptured quadricep and a damaged ligament in his leg.

“My leg was trapped between both bikes,” Marquez said although it didn’t cause him to skip a round.

A bout of food poisoning also caused Marquez to vomit into his helmet in Texas.

A crash with Luca Marini at Le Mans was also a scary moment for Marquez but he again escaped unharmed.

Fabio di Giannantonio

The Gresini rider became the first casualty of 2023 even before the racing had started.

In the Portimao test he suffered a concussion after crashing, stirring up a debate about the gravel traps at the circuit.

“Every year we complain about the gravel because they are like really big rocks and when you hit them it’s more painful than when you hit the asphalt,” he said.

Johann Zarco

One of the scariest moments of the season so far was when Zarco’s Ducati was torn in half by Marc Marquez’s flying bike. The point of impact thankfully missed Zarco’s leg, and he was unhurt.

A crash with Fabio Quartararo at Assen resulted in a painful finger for Zarco.

Jorge Martin

The Pramac Racing rider was furious at Portimao when Marc Marquez clattered into him, leaving him with a broken toe and an ankle injury.

“It’s not the first time he has destroyed my race,” Jorge Martin fumed.

Martin later entered the COTA weekend “feeling weak” due to illness.

Luca Marini

The Mooney VR46 rider was involved in a big smash with Alex Marquez at Le Mans, which cost him an injured wrist. 

That problem was diagnosed as a fracture, but Marini battled on without skipping a round until discovering additional ligament and tendon damage.

Raul Fernandez

After arm pump surgery, the RNF Aprilia rider attempted a swift return at Le Mans but was soon forced to pull out.

Augusto Fernandez

A terrifying crash in practice at Mugello was a scare but Augusto Fernandez walked away unharmed.

Takaaki Nakagami

The only one of four Honda riders to compete at Assen, with his three colleagues all injured. But Nakagami has had a major scare himself this season.

He required an x-ray after the hand which was operated on twice last season became stuck between the handlebars as he experienced a big crash in Germany. Nakagami emerged unscathed.

Joan Mir's manager Paco Sanchez told AS: "This format is crushing the drivers physically and psychologically.

"I can tell you about Pol, Oliveira or Bastianini, who do not drive Honda, and have been or are at home due to injury, due to stress and the new formula, which makes the riders from minute one are under tremendous pressure.

"The statistics are there. It is not a thought but a reality.

"I've never seen a championship with the level of injuries I'm seeing this year.

"Put together the format of the championship, the number of crashes and that the Honda is a critical bike and the result is a catastrophe for us."