Six-time MotoGP champion Marc Marquez has been passed fit to continue at this weekend’s German Grand Prix despite sustaining a broken finger and bruised rib in a nasty highside crash at the Sachsenring’s infamous Turn 11 during practice on Friday.
The Gresini Racing rider crashed at the fast downhill right-hand corner when the front tyre of his Ducati let go, causing the rear to come around on him as he tried to save it on his elbow and knee, only for the rear Michelin tyre to then find grip again and launch him into a nasty highside at over 120mph.
Second crash of the day for @marcmarquez93 but this one was HUGE! 💥
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) July 5, 2024
The 8-time World Champ suffered a massive highside at Turn 11! 🤯 Thankfully Marc was declared FIT after a quick medical check! ✅#GermanGP 🇩🇪 pic.twitter.com/4wBUtv98lh
He was one of a number of riders to crash at the high-speed corner, which comes after nearly 50 seconds of left handers that allow the right side of the front tyre to cool down - something that was even more of an issue than usual on Friday thanks to high winds that contributed to the cooling effect.
Marquez was aided by a red flag a few minutes later when a crash for Fabio Di Giannantonio punctured the air fence at Turn 1, and was briefly able to rejoin the session in the final 30 minutes to a lap time that initially was fast enough to top the session.
However, it didn’t last long, with his name soon falling down the standings to outside the automatic entry point to Q2 in 10th place - while he had got out of his leathers and headed to the circuit medical centre long before the chequered flag.
There, he was diagnosed as suffering from a fracture to the index finger of his left hand as well as a badly bruised rib cage - but was given the all-clear by MotoGP’s medical team to continue for the rest of the weekend tomorrow.
“The feeling with the bike was good,” Marquez explained in a brief statement issued by his team, “but it’s obvious that the afternoon crash has had a great impact on this first day here at the Sachsenring.
“I’m not worried about the fracture in my finger, but the bruise to the rib cage is surely the one bothering me the most and that also prevented me from continuing the session.
“Now it is time to rest and tomorrow morning we’ll see what my physical condition is.”
It remains to be seen, as he says, what Saturday will bring for the 11-time Sachsenring winner at a track that has long been a prime target for him to finally secure his first Ducati victory after switching from Honda to the Italian brand at the start of the 2024 season.
Undefeated at the historic East German circuit in the 125cc, Moto2 and MotoGP classes from 2010 until 2022, even as he struggled in recent years with injury, it was also the scene of the final straw of his Honda career 12 months ago after a punishing weekend that saw him crash five times before withdrawing after Sunday morning’s warm-up session.
Things have looked decidedly better on the Ducati and the laps he did complete on Friday were fast - but it may well be that the crash will have robbed him of his best chance yet to return to the top step.
