MotoGP | Marc Marquez fractures a finger on his left hand

Marc Marquez took to the track at the start of Friday afternoon’s 60-minute German GP practice, but quickly returned to the pits. With 55 minutes to go, the Spaniard returned to the track and three minutes later, when he had yet to complete a flying lap, he crashed quite spectacularly at the “Waterfall”, the first right-hander after a long sequence of left-handers.

Marc returned to the pits and received an initial medical check on site from Dr. Charte. While the bike was being brought back to the pits he changed his suit, with 40 minutes remaining in the session, Fabio Di Giannantonio crashed, hitting the airfence at Turn 1, and the red flag was given.

The session was interrupted for 13 minutes and when it restarted Marquez returned to the track and set the fastest lap up to that point (1’20″384). However, with nothing apparently happening, Marc returned to the pits and from there to his truck, took off his suit and went back to the medical centre, raising the alarm. Fortunately, with just under eight minutes to go in the session, the rider was declared fit to continue racing, returning to his team’s pit, but without returning to the track.

Initially, Dr. Charte ruled out any serious injury or fracture. “He has a strong contusion on the right rib,” said the championship doctor, confirming: “There are no fractures. He will continue with the treatment, with anti-inflammatories and we will see how the situation evolves.” Charte assured that five x-rays were taken on the driver to rule out any injury.

However, the driver complained after the session of pain in a finger on his left hand and, after an X-ray, a small but painful fracture was detected in the first phalanx of the finger, which will not prevent him from taking part in the second day of the German Grand Prix on Saturday, but with pain and discomfort.

Marquez has already suffered two crashes this weekend, a similar situation to last year, when he finished with five crashes and ultimately decided not to participate in Sunday’s race after breaking a rib.