LE MANS, France – Ducati’s Marc Marquez will miss Sunday’s French Grand Prix as well as next weekend’s Catalan Grand Prix as he needs surgery after fracturing his foot in a crash in Saturday’s sprint in Le Mans, his team said.
Marquez suffered a nasty highside crash in the sprint on the final lap and the world champion was thrown off his bike, which cartwheeled through the air before landing beside him.
“After a medical check and X-ray, Marc Marquez was declared unfit for a fifth metatarsal fracture in his right foot. He will fly to Madrid tonight to undergo surgery,” Ducati said in a statement.
The injury is another blow for the reigning world champion who has yet to finish on the podium this season.
Marquez sits fifth in the standings, 51 points behind Aprilia’s championship leader Marco Bezzecchi.
He will now target a return at the Italian Grand Prix from May 29-31 at Mugello, Ducati’s home turf.
MARQUEZ STRUGGLING WITH INJURIES AND CONFIDENCE
Marquez has struggled with injuries since October when he suffered a collarbone injury as a result of a collision with Bezzecchi at the Indonesia Grand Prix, soon after sealing his seventh MotoGP crown .
Ducati compared to runaway leaders Aprilia, with Bezzecchi and teammate Martin separated by six points in the championship.
Marquez said on Friday the bike was not the problem after he finished 13th-fastest in practice.
“I need to work in the garage to build my confidence, because right now we’re not ready to show our speed or to fight for the championship,” he said.
“It’s not that the others are going faster, it’s that I’m going slower. Apart from the first race of the year, I haven’t been the fastest Ducati rider at any point.”
Marquez looked back to his best when he smashed the lap record at Le Mans in qualifying on Saturday but he fell from second on the grid to seventh in the sprint before his crash.