MotoGP champion Marquez’s “complex” arm surgery deemed a success

Marquez badly broke his right humerus in a crash in the 2020 Spanish Grand Prix, which ultimately ruled him out of the campaign and required him to have three operations on it.  

He returned to MotoGP competition in April on 2021, and though he won three races he struggled for fitness in his right arm and this continued into this year.  

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Evaluating a fourth operation in October last year, Marquez was given the green light by his doctors to have the surgery last Friday and announced on the Saturday at the Italian Grand Prix that he would be stepping away to go under the knife this week.  

Marquez had the operation on Thursday at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota in America, with Doctor Joaquin Sanchez Sotelo stating that the surgery took three hours and that it went without issue.  

Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

"Today we had the opportunity to operate on the right humerus of Mr. Marc Marquez,” Dr. Sanchez said in a statement issued by Honda.  

“The procedure was completed in approximately three hours.  

“Despite the complexity of the procedure, the final outcome was satisfactory.  

“Surgery consisted in removing the proximal two screws of the posterior plate previously placed by Dr. Samuel Antuna in December of 2020, followed by a rotational humeral osteotomy.  

“Such procedure involves creating a transverse cut of the humeral bone to rotate the humerus along its long axis.  

“The amount of rotation performed today was approximately 30 degrees of external rotation.  

“The humerus was stabilised in the new position using an anterior plate with multiple screws. Surgery was completed uneventfully.  

“We would like to wish Mr. Marquez a swift recovery and a successful return to his professional career." 

No recovery time has been given for Marquez, but he is expected to sit out the rest of the 2022 season. 

His place at the factory Honda team for this weekend’s Catalan Grand Prix has been taken by HRC test rider Stefan Bradl, though it is not yet clear if the German will be in place for the rest of the year.