Marc Marquez’s shoulder not the issue as new injury takes centre stage after Austin crash

Speaking with Nico Abad after the United States Grand Prix, Mela Chercoles addressed questions about Marc Marquez’s injuries. Despite ongoing speculation around his shoulder, Chercoles shifted attention to a different area of concern.

Marquez has been dealing with inflammation and abrasion in his right forearm, an issue that’s been causing him significant discomfort and hindering his performance.

“The shoulder is not a problem. The problem was his right forearm after the crash he had on Friday at 192 km/h. That afternoon, he finished first on the timesheets, with a pure champion’s reaction.

“I was fascinated. But on Saturday morning, I ran into him leaving the circuit clinic. He spent more time there than in the pits. I ran into him on Saturday morning, and he said, ‘Let’s see how it goes.’ On Friday, they were worried about how his cervical spine would feel in the morning, as it was very tense.

“But the real problem was in his right forearm. He had suffered a significant abrasion. Neither the ulna nor the radius were affected, but he did have an internal oedema.

“They were also applying anti-inflammatory ointments to eliminate the fibrin. (The doctor) told me. His left hand was a little sore, but it was nothing compared to his right arm.”

Chercoles added:

“He showed it to me. He rolled up his sleeve. The inflammation was very intense and caused a lot of pain. That was Saturday morning.”

Marc Marquez admitted the US Grand Prix wasn’t his day

Chercoles went on to say that after Marquez’s sprint crash with Di Giannantonio, it was clear he didn’t have high hopes for Sunday’s race.

“In the qualifying session, we saw he didn’t have powerful potential. He finished sixth. Then, in the sprint race, he messed up because he made a mistake. He said to himself that he absorbed the slipstream of the extreme rider in front of him and crashed, taking Di Giannantonio down with him.

“He obviously accepted the long lap penalty for Sunday’s race, which affected his performance. On Sunday morning, I ran into him again… He said to me, ‘Mela, today is not the day.’ I asked ’How are you?’”

Marquez ended up fifth at Austin, a disappointing result made worse by Aprilia’s one-two finish behind Marco Bezzechi.

After the race, Marquez spoke about MotoGP’s dirty air problem. The issue was especially noticeable while he spent most of his time riding in the midfield over the weekend.