Marc Marquez will not take part in this weekend’s returning Argentina MotoGP race after latest bout of diplopia.
After the crash in Indonesia, Honda’s Marquez was forced to miss the Indonesian MotoGP race as he was diagnosed with another bout of diplopia. He already recovered from that in the off-season to be ready for 2022, but his worst memories returned to haunt him.
With the recovery process generally slow with the case of diplopia, Marquez is forced to miss this weekend’s returning Argentina MotoGP race after his latest visit to the doctor. Although, he is showing signs of improvement, but it is not enough to get an all-clear.
It remains to be seen if he can be ready in time for the American GP at the Circuit of the Americas which follows straight after Argentina. Honda hasn’t announced his replacement but Stefan Bradl could be the one to race alongside Pol Espargaro.
This is the 19th MotoGP event that Marquez would miss since the 2020 Andalucian GP at Jerez. It is more than half of the races held in the period. “The second neuro-ophthalmological evaluation carried out on Marc Marquez this past Monday has shown a very favourable evolution in the paralysis of the fourth right nerve affected by the fall that occurred at the Indonesian Grand Prix,” said Dr. Sanchez Dalmau.
“Recovery is not yet complete, and Marc Marquez must follow the established therapeutic regime with conservative treatment.”
Here’s the full statement from Honda:
The Repsol Honda Team rider has already shown very favourable improvements with his diplopia after visiting the Hospital Clínic and an examination from Dr. Sánchez Dalmau. Marc Marquez visited his ophthalmologist, Dr. Sánchez Dalmau, at the Hospital Clínic in Barcelona yesterday, Monday, where he underwent his second medical check-up after the crash in Warm Up for the Indonesian GP a week ago.
In this new examination, Dr. Sánchez Dalmau confirmed that Marc Marquez’s diplopia shows a notable improvement and reaffirms that the progression of his vision is very favourable. As happened with the last episode of diplopia, Marc Marquez will continue to carry out a conservative treatment regime with regular check-ups.
The Repsol Honda Team rider will not take part in the next round of the MotoGP World Championship that takes place this weekend in Argentina as he continues his recovery.
UPDATE: As expected, Honda has confirmed Bradl to replace Marquez for the Argentina GP alongside Espargaro. “The most important thing is sending my best to Marc and hoping that he recovers quickly,” said the German. “Until then, I will do my best for Honda HRC and the Repsol Honda Team in his place.
“I have already done a few tests this year so I am familiar with the new Honda RC213V but of course coming into a MotoGP weekend is a different situation. I have some good memories of Argentina; I was fifth there in 2014 and seventh there when I last raced in Termas in 2016. We will work with the team to define the plan for the weekend, I have no doubt it will be a busy one.”
Here’s news of post-Indonesian GP checks