MotoGP, Márquez: “I considered retiring, a miracle I got my sight back”

Following positive test sessions at Sepang and Mandalika, Marc Márquez was in Madrid yesterday evening along with fellow Spaniards Martin, Mir and Viñales, as well as Jack Miller, for a showing of the the first two episodes of “MotoGP Unlimited”, the docu-series distributed by Amazon Prime Video.

Before heading into Cine Capitol, the eight-time world champion spoke to Radio COPE about the difficulties he faced in 2020 and 2021 with his arm and head injuries, how close he came to retirement following diplopia, and his expectations ahead of the 2022 season.

We know how hard Marquez has had to fight over the last two years in order to be fit enough to get back on his bike and take part in the recently concluded pre-season tests.

Marquez: “I reached rock bottom in 2020-2021”

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As for his two health issues, the Spaniard comments: “I reached rock bottom in 2020 and 2021. With double vision, I couldn’t do anything as I was dizzy. In fact, after the operation, the doctor told me it was a miracle that I regained my sight. It was hard, psychologically, and the racing side of things took a backseat.”

The Spaniard goes on to admit that there was a serious risk he’d have to conclude his career ahead of time when diplopia returned after a training incident in late 2021: “The DNA is still there, when I lose that, I’ll have to end my career… And that’s what happened this winter; I thought about not racing because there was a real possibility that I'd have to stop. The doctor explained my options and the third was: 'Your eyesight will be probably be good enough to live a normal life, but you won’t be able to do 250 km/h on a bike.”

As we’ve seen in the tests, Marquez has now put these thoughts behind him, getting back on his bike and doing what he does best, enjoying himself and lapping fast. Despite it all, the Spaniard is keen to remove his own name from the list of favourites for this year’s title: “If your name’s not Rafa Nadal, you can’t be the favourite to win after having been injured for two years.”

Lastly, Marquez makes a prediction ahead of the 2022 season: “Right now there are twelve bikes that can win the world title but the favourites are the world champion and runner-up, Quartararo and Pecco Bagnaia.”

Translated by Heather Watson

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