The outstanding motorcyclist of the last ten years is trying to make his comeback. A long path of suffering lies behind him.
What Valentino Rossi was for the first ten years of this millennium, Marc Márquez was for the second decade. Both drivers took their sport to a new level. Rossi won seven world championship titles in the premier class (then still 500cc, then MotoGP), in the 10s Márquez was unbeatable six times in MotoGP.
At 42 years old, the Italian Rossi is still the big star of the scene, he attracts most spectators to the track – provided that they are allowed. But it hasn't worked for the Yamaha rider for a long time. His last race win was in 2017; in the previous year he finished the World Cup in 15th place. He has never been so bad in his 25-year career.
Marquez didn't bring any results at all in 2020. The reason was a serious fall in the first race of the season. The result: a broken upper arm, a failed comeback attempt, pain, three operations. But after almost nine months of racing, he will start at the Portuguese Grand Prix in Portimão next weekend.
Ya estamos en Portimao! 😁
Already in Portimao! #PortugueseGP pic.twitter.com/sahGGjA0N6
– Marc Márquez (@ marcmarquez93) April 14, 2021
“The doctors advised me not to start earlier,” said the 28-year-old. “I listened to them and learned to understand my body.” This patience is something new for Marc Márquez. Because cockiness and unreason were the reason for his long break. It was a mistake that the Honda rider tried to make a comeback a week (!) After the crash. At the latest then the series world champion had to painfully discover that he is only human.
Only now have all the wounds healed, it remains questionable what condition Marquez is in. Did he put the injury away in his head too? How will he feel when he brakes in Portimão after the long straight at 350 km / h into the first corner, where 1.7 g weighs on the body in the braking zone? That means a load of about 120 kg for the arms and wrists.
“I dare to blindly predict that he will be the fastest Honda driver in Portimão,” believes ServusTV expert Gustl Auinger. “He loves such challenges and would even start in Siberia to race again.”
