Marc Marquez’s alarming admission: “For some reason, I’m not able to do it…”

The MotoGP star rider is an eight-time world champion, six in the premier class, and is lauded among the best of his generation.

But a dreadful period since winning the 2019 title - interrupted by career-threatening injuries and Honda’s fall-off - have resulted in him making admissions that never felt possible.

“The summer break arrived at the best moment for me, the correct moment,” he told BBC.

“I was injured, I was empty in races. There were crashes. The rib was broken, the finger broken, the ankle…

“I took time to rebuild my body and energy. And I had time to prepare the second half of the season.

“I’m still not 100%, especially on my right leg. But it’s acceptable to ride the bike.

“When I had the arm injury it was a difficult moment, very demanding, four different surgeries.

“Now I feel ready to fight for victories but, for some reason, I am not able to do it.

“That becomes difficult on the mental side.

“Crashes, injuries, in my professional life this is the hardest moment. But my personal life is at its best moment so this compensates a bit.”

Marquez arrived injury-free into 2023 after incredibly battling back from a fourth arm surgery a year ago which might have ended his career.

But he crashed on the first weekend, injuring a hand, then had back-to-back weekends in Germany and the Netherlands where he was constantly in the gravel, and he withdrew from both grands prix.

Astonishingly after nine rounds of the championship, Marquez has yet to complete a Sunday race.

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“All my career has been very sweet, flowers, very easy, a lot of wins and eight world championships,” he said.

“Then one day my nightmare started.

“It was so difficult. Three years of suffering.

“It was time to say: ‘Maybe this is the time to stop my career’.

“But still the passion and motivation is there.

“Some people around me said ‘it’s time to stop’. But most said ‘continue’.”

Many of Marquez’s problems surround his Honda - his team and fellow Japanese manufacturer Yamaha have fallen way behind their European counterparts, initially Ducati but now also KTM and Aprilia.

It has led to speculation that he could seek a new environment although, at Silverstone, he revealed his expectation to stay at Honda in 2024.

“Every year when I start the season it’s to fight for the championship,” he said.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s the ninth championship or the first. I will fight in the same way.

“But it’s true that, today, we cannot think about the championship.

“The reality is we are not ready to win. Not me, not the bike, many reasons.

“In three years I have completed just half of the races. Many injuries. It is time to rebuild confidence.

“Then I hope, next year, to think about the championship.”