Márquez heads to the medical centre after his warm-up crash
Sonny Tumbelaka/AFP via Getty Image
Marc Márquez has suffered a repeat of the double vision that ruled him out of the final races of 2021, following a violent 115mph highside crash at Mandalika last weekend.
The eight-time world champion has been told to rest after missing the Indonesian Grand Prix when he was flung into the air by his Honda RC213V during the warm-up, his helmet crashing into the asphalt as he returned to the ground.
Bruising and concussion were diagnosed at the circuit but the diplopia (double vision), which first surfaced after from an eye injury in a 2011 Moto2 crash, flared up on the journey home.
“It seems that I am experiencing déjà vu…” Márquez posted on Twitter. “During the trip back to Spain, I began to experience discomfort in my vision and we decided to visit Dr. Sánchez Dalmau [his ophthalmologist] who confirmed that I have a new episode of diplopia.
“Fortunately it is less serious than the injury I had at the end of last year. But now it’s time to rest and wait to see how the injury evolves. As always, many thanks to everyone for your support!”
Márquez now faces missing more of what was meant to be his comeback season after two injury-hit years. The next race, in Argentina, is less than two weeks away.
He has now been cleared of any further effects after a series of check-ups in the wake of the dramatic crash.
The Repsol Honda team said that Márquez was transferred to a local hospital after being seen by MotoGP medics who diagnosed concussion and “several minor traumas”. Further examination and a CT scan ruled out further injuries.
A thrilling, rain-lashed Indonesian GP followed two difficult days of dry practice, when Michelin’s special, super-stiff rear slick caused lots of problems for the MotoGP grid
After his vision discomfort on the flight home, Honda said in a statement: “[Márquez] had an emergency visit to the Hospital Clínic de Barcelona with his trusted ophthalmologist, Dr. Sánchez Dalmau, who after an examination confirmed a relapse in the diplopia that the rider suffered last November.
“[On Tuesday morning], the Spanish rider visited his medical team, led by Dr. Samuel Antuña, at the Ruber Internacional Hospital in Madrid, where Márquez underwent a general medical check-up to evaluate all the bruises caused by the crash and a brain MRI. This has reconfirmed that he did not suffer any other injuries.”
While racing in Moto2, Márquez suffered a serious eye injury to his right eyeball in a 2011 crash at Malaysia, putting his career into serious jeopardy. The Honda rider had damaged his trochlear nerve, which in turn caused paralysis of the superior oblique muscle – which which helps to both stabilise and rotate the eye.
The same problem recurred last year after a motocross training accident, which forced him to miss the final two races of the season and the following test. That followed the extensive rehabilitation needed after fracturing his right arm in the 2020 season-opener in Jerez.
The Spaniard missed the rest of that year’s races, and the opening two of 2021, going on to ride with a weakened arm.
