Marquez's wrist "was sleeping" during Valencia GP
Honda's Alex Marquez has said his injured left wrist suffered in a violent MotoGP qualifying crash was "sleeping" during the Valencia Grand Prix and it "difficult to finish the race"
Marquez was thrown from his RC213V during the opening stages of Q1 on Saturday at Turn 11 and struck the ground with an impact of 23.6g on his back.
He was taken to hospital for checks, which revealed a bone marrow edema in his left wrist, though he still took part in the race.
However, after the opening eight or nine laps his wrist was "sleeping" and he could only take the chequered flag in 16th.
Despite this, he admits simply getting to the finish was what he needed to rebuild his confidence after suffering three crashes across the Valencia round.
"[It] was difficult from the warm-up, from yesterday after the crash," Marquez said on Sunday.
"So, the main important thing was to finish the race to build up a little bit the confidence again because after three crashes in a weekend it's not easy.
"So, maybe the hard tyre in the situation that we had before the race was not the best choice, the medium I think we had more feeling or more feedback from the front tyre.
"But apart from that, my left hand was sleeping from lap eight or nine, so it was difficult to finish the race.
"We didn't score any points, but I think it was the main thing to get the bike back 100% to the box and to get the rhythm again to arrive at Portimao better."
Marquez added that his problems were exacerbated by the relentless nature of the Ricardo Tormo track, meaning he had no opportunity to rest his damaged wrist across the 27 laps.
"The wrist was the main one," he said when asked if it was his wrist or his back which caused him the most problems.
"Also, Valencia is a track that's physically demanding and there's no straights to recover a little bit.
"But the left hand, the braking on the left, corners on the left, I also lost one wing on the first lap with contact. Everything was not perfect but especially the wrist, the left hand was sleeping from lap eight."
Previous article
Rossi: Yamaha needs serious programme with MotoGP test team
Next article
2020 MotoGP Portuguese Grand Prix session timings and preview
About this article
| Series | MotoGP |
| Drivers | Alex Marquez , Marc Marquez |
| Author | Germán Garcia Casanova |
Marc Marquez is back
MotoGP Starting Grid: Portugal Grand Prix
MotoGP Starting Grid: Doha Grand Prix
Marc Márquez's first ride after his injury
Marc Marquez continues his recovery
What does Marc Marquez have to do to get back to his best?
Following his resounding MotoGP return with a seventh place finish in Portugal, Marc Marquez now must work to rediscover his best form before turning his attention towards results-based targets
How Yamaha’s rookie-spec MotoGP star is taking charge
Fabio Quartararo is on a roll in 2021, having stormed to victory at a venue where he last year served up one of his worst races. Contrasting Portuguese GPs for Yamaha’s factory duo make it hard to understand just how good its 2021 MotoGP bike is, but the Portimao weekend has revealed one key improvement compared to 2020
The hurdles Marquez faces next in his Portugal MotoGP return
Even by Marc Marquez’s own high standards, his MotoGP comeback on Friday at the Portuguese Grand Prix will be considered a success even if he didn’t top the times. But having shown competitive pace on his first day back, both Marquez and his rivals know plenty more challenges are to come
Where does Honda's new MotoGP signing sit ahead of its king's return?
Pol Espargaro’s first results as a Honda MotoGP rider may not appear special. But dig a little deeper and a clearer picture of his performance emerges. And, as Lewis Duncan writes, it’s cause for celebration at Honda with the return of Marc Marquez set to provide Espargaro with the reference he has been missing so far this year
The "pit bull" MotoGP rookie already drawing legendary comparisons
MotoGP’s 2021 rookie crop is one of the strongest in recent years, but one is already standing out. Jorge Martin’s Doha GP heroics have courted many to compare him to numerous MotoGP legends. Autosport spoke to Pramac boss Francesco Guidotti to find out why MotoGP’s latest Spanish star is already making such an impact
Why MotoGP's stewards must revisit Miller and Mir's Losail clash
Despite Suzuki’s decision not to appeal against Race Direction’s refusal to penalise Jack Miller following the incident with Joan Mir in Losail, something must be done to avoid a repeat of such an incident, which could have easily ended in tragedy
Has Yamaha banished its demons with its 2021 MotoGP bike?
Against the expected run of play at Qatar's Losail circuit, both Yamaha riders Maverick Vinales and Fabio Quartararo carved through a resolute Ducati defence to secure back-to-back MotoGP wins for the Japanese marque. After a difficult 2020, it appears that Yamaha has swaggered back into championship contention
Why MotoGP’s top gun looks more dangerous at the Doha GP
Lightning hasn't struck twice for Maverick Vinales since 2017 and his wayward form of recent years makes predicting how he'll fare each MotoGP race weekend tricky. But fresh from his Qatar GP win, Vinales looks like an even more dangerous prospect for the Doha GP following an intriguing Friday practice
