Marc Marquez reacts to Alex’s horror MotoGP crash after double surgery return

The last few weeks have not favoured the Marquez brothers, and both have already missed crucial rounds in this year's championship due to injuries sustained during the races. First of all, older brother Marc has suffered with a persistent shoulder injury dating back to 2020, one which was aggravated at the tail-end of last year when Marco Bezzecchi collided with the world champion and forced him to miss four rounds at the end of the season.

After suffering a tyre blow-out in Thailand at the opening round, followed by heavy crashes in Jerez and then Le Mans, the number 93 revealed the reason for his seemingly below-par performance at the start of the year.

The Le Mans crash gave Marc the opportunity to undergo a double surgery and address both his shoulder and foot at the same time, though he watched on from the sidelines as his brother Alex suffered a horrific crash in Barcelona.

After a sensation sprint victory, Alex Marquez was once again on the charge during Sunday's race. As he closed down Pedro Acosta along the back straight on Lap 12, the KTM rider's bike cut out and Alex hit the back of him at high speed. The younger Marquez brother was then catapulted toward the concrete wall at well over 150 mph and narrowly avoided a head-on impact. Nonetheless, he sustained a fractured neck vertebrae and a smashed collar bone. The red flag was waved almost immediately after the impact, but there was a significant delay between that and the announcement that all riders were conscious. Even so, the extent and severity of Alex's injuries were not clear until hours after the Grand Prix had finished.

Speaking at the pre-race media scrum in Mugello today, Marc Marquez told veteran MotoGP journalist and author Mat Oxley how it felt to see his younger brother involved in such a horrific incident:

"MM93 still wearing a foot casing but foot no problem. Good thing is surgeons didn’t cut thru the muscle to get to the loose screw. They ended up taking out two screws and a bone fragment, from an old injury. Said “I was like ice” when Alex crashed at Catalunya. He told us in the politest way possible that MotoGP is asking too much of the riders and this makes MotoGP more dangerous." read Oxley's post on X, along with a photo of Marquez's medical boot.

As Alex Marquez continues to recover at home, a documentary about the Barcelona ordeal has been posted to his YouTube channel. Despite the worrying nature of the crash and the injuries, the Gresini rider appears to be in very positive spirits regarding the incident. Long-time reserve rider Michele Pirro will step in to replace him at the Italian and Hungarian Grand Prixs.

Meanwhile, LCR Honda's Johann Zarco also suffered a massive crash in Catalonia after the red flag restart. The French rider's leg became tangled between the rear wheel and exhaust of Francesco Bagnaia's Ducati, before rolling him through the gravel at Turn 1. Thankfully, Zarco did not sustain any career-altering injuries, but will be sidelined for the meantime as he continues a fairly lengthy recovery. In the meantime, British MotoGP legend Cal Crutchlow has been called up to fill-in at the LCR garage.