MotoGP: Marc Marquez to return for French GP

Marc Marquez will return to action this weekend at the French GP in Le Mans.

Marc Marquez will make his return to track at Le Mans after sitting on the sidelines since Portimao. The Spaniard returns for the historic French GP and Honda’s 1000^th Grand Prix start.

After crashing at the opening race weekend of the season, Marc Marquez broke his first metacarpal on his right hand. This break forced the eight-time World Champion to sit out the opening races until he recovered. The team and Marquez consulted with three separate medical teams, and they were satisfied with the healing of the bone. 

This weekend Marquez will aim to get back into his rhythm and continue to develop Honda’s RC213V. He will join Joan Mir this weekend, with Honda having all their riders racing this weekend for the first time since March.

Marquez originally aimed to be back at Jerez however, he did not feel 100% and did not feel ready to race.

Marc Marquez originally received a double long-lap penalty for an incident at Portimao after he crashed at turn three, taking out Oliveira. However, Marquez’s penalty was due to be served at the Argentinian Grand Prix, which he did not race at. The penalty would be reworded to the next race, in which Marquez could compete in.

Honda protested this decision, and after months of discussion, the decision was made to have the penalty annulled, with Marquez no longer needing to serve a penalty on his return.

Currently, Marquez is 19^th in the MotoGP Championship standings and is ahead of his teammate, Joan Mir. Since his injury, Stefan Bradl and Iker Lecuona have stepped in to replace Marquez. 

This weekend marks a huge weekend for MotoGP, as the series will enter its 1000^th Grand Prix. Honda is one of the most historic manufacturers in Grand Prix racing, first joining the sport in 1959.

Marquez said: “I am really happy to be back with the Repsol Honda Team, about to ride my bike again. First of all, I want to thank my medical team for their professionalism and advice over the past few weeks.

“Of course, as a rider you always want to be back as soon as possible, but with an injury like this it was really important to allow it to heal. Now I am here and fully focused on riding, I have no worries about the injury since it’s fully healed. Let’s see what the French GP brings and most importantly, work to our maximum.”

Image credit: Repsol Media