Marc Marquez will be taken to hospital in Barcelona for surgery on a broken right arm following his heavy crash during the MotoGP Spanish Grand Prix.
The reigning world champion had a dramatic race, suffering a big front end slide at Turn 4 on lap five while leading the race ahead of Yamaha’s Maverick Vinales.
The Honda rider somehow saved the moment and rejoined 16th, proceeding to get back into the top 10 by the end of lap nine.
Marquez’s charge continued through to the closing stages, and by lap 22 he was threatening to pass Vinales for second.
But Marquez was flicked from his Honda through the Turn 3 left-hander, landing heavily and needing to be fitted with a neck brace and put into the back of an ambulance.
MotoGP’s doctor Angel Charte confirmed Marquez has suffered a fracture on his right arm and will be airlifted to hospital in Barcelona on Monday for surgery, which is set to occur on Tuesday.
“It was a high-energy fall, with chest trauma to the right side,” Charte said.
“Right arm with pneumatic impact, third half of the humorous, although not fully displaced, with an immobilised lesion.
“He will be transferred to Barcelona for definitive treatment.”
It is unclear yet if he will race in next weekend’s Grand Prix of Andalusia.
Speaking in the post-race press conference, race winner Fabio Quartararo said: “Get well soon, that the first thing I can say. The crash was really big.
“It will be strange because Marc is the favourite for the championship. It will be strange next week without the favourite.
“Speedy recovery, hope to see you soon on track.”
Third-place finisher Andrea Dovizioso added: “That’s the bad part of our sport. We are competitors and we want to beat everybody but nobody really want that to happen.
“Marc is really strong, I think he’ll come back soon.”
Marquez’s previous two winters have been blighted by dislocations to both of his shoulders, with both requiring lengthy recovery periods.
Prior to the coronavirus pandemic delaying the Qatar Grand Prix back in March, Marquez was expected to start the season at “70%” – though he had fully recovered for this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix.
In a bruising weekend at Jerez for the riders, Suzuki’s Alex Rins dislocated and fractured his right shoulder and was forced to miss the race, while LCR’s Cal Crutchlow was also ruled out with a concussion from a crash in the morning warm-up.
Should Marquez be forced to miss next weekend’s second race at Jerez, it will mark the first time in his MotoGP career that he has sat out a race through injury.
He last missed a race at the end of his 2011 Moto2 campaign when he suffered a career-threatening eye injury.