Six-time MotoGP champion Marquez skips first two Grands Prix in Qatar

Six-time MotoGP champion Marc Màrquez will miss the first two Grands Prix in Qatar. He broke his upper arm in a heavy crash in July, an injury for which he had to undergo three operations due to complications.

The already long recovery time has been delayed considerably because of this. Recently Màrquez got the green light from his doctors to get back on the bike, but the advice was to restart gradually. That's why there was still talk of possibly participating in the season opener in Qatar, but today Màrquez announced he's not going to take the risk.

"After the last check with the medical team, the doctors advised me not to participate in the two races in Qatar, and to continue with the rehabilitation plan. I would have loved to have participated in the opening race, but the important thing now is to continue working on an optimal recovery so that we can return to the competition", Màrquez wrote on his social media.

Màrquez is an eight-time world champion in total, including six times in MotoGP, once in Moto2 and once in the 125CC class. Usually he is the odds-on favourite for the world title, but it remains to be seen whether he can return at full strength - until then, the hunting season is open for the rest of the field.