Photo: Ducati Corse
Marc Márquez reveals why doctors blocked his return for Valencia MotoGP test
MotoGP Ducati Lenovo team Marc Marquez summaries Motogp Valencia Motogp testing
MotoGP world champion Marc Márquez has opened up about the difficult medical advice that prevented him from joining the Valencia test only weeks after his heavy shoulder injury. Despite his rapid recovery, the Ducati star says doctors gave him an ultimatum he simply couldn’t accept: ride only if he promised not to crash.
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Marc Márquez, the current MotoGP world champion, has said he wanted to take part in the Valencia test, but his doctors gave him a choice he simply could not accept.
Only a week after winning his seventh MotoGP title, he suffered a complicated shoulder injury during a collision with Marco Bezzecchi at the Indonesian Grand Prix. He had surgery shortly afterwards, which meant he could not finish the 2025 season.
Since then, his recovery has moved in a positive direction. Márquez, who rides for Ducati, recently had his arm sling removed and was able to visit the Valencia Grand Prix. Even so, he was not allowed to join the post-race test.
In a behind-the-scenes Ducati video, Márquez explained that he asked his doctors for permission.
“I asked, ‘Can I do the test?’ They said no,” he said. “They told me, ‘You can do it only if you promise not to crash’. But I cannot ride a MotoGP bike while thinking about avoiding every risk.”
While Márquez has been recovering, reports appeared saying he had bent a screw in his right shoulder after the Indonesia crash. He later explained to his team that this screw was actually from an old injury and had already been bent for years.
He reminded everyone that the screw came from his major arm break at the 2020 Spanish Grand Prix. At that time, doctors rebuilt part of his shoulder using a piece of bone fixed with two screws. When he broke his humerus, one screw came loose and the other became bent. According to Márquez, this had never been a problem.
“Don’t worry about the bent screw,” he joked with his mechanics. “It has been like this since 2020. It’s completely normal for me.”
Márquez was officially crowned the 2025 champion at the season-ending awards ceremony at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit. In his speech, he said he hoped his return to the top, five years after his serious injury, would inspire people to stay strong and keep going even when life becomes difficult.
For the last two races of the season, Ducati World Superbike rider Nicolo Bulega stepped in as Márquez’s replacement. Bulega also took part in the Valencia test for the team and is set to have a larger role in developing Ducati’s 2027 MotoGP bike.
