Marc Marquez’s latest setback will no doubt have the Spaniard reflecting seriously on his career. Does it make sense to continue taking such risks or would it not perhaps be better to say enough is enough? A question that the Spaniard will no doubt have asked himself many times already, but one that now takes on more significance than ever before.

Marquez, the diplopia is back

We are all aware that, following the serious crash sustained during warm-up in Indonesia, Marquez decided not to race as a precaution. A wise choice, seeing as he has now been diagnosed with diplopia, as well as concussion, highlighted following a CAT scan at Lombak hospital.

The recovery time? It’s hard to say. Marquez will have to wait for his next check-ups to understand the level of damage and the time needed to return to full fitness. But it’s easy to imagine that this latest enforced break will compromise the 2022 season of a Marquez who appears unable to get around the issue of a Honda RC213V that is not yet fully under his control. When he needs to manage the ride, like in Qatar, Marc is able to achieve his goal, but when he tries to push, as he did at Mandalika, the Spaniard only clocks up a number of crashes, something he can no longer afford to do.

MotoGP, Marc Marquez: “My diplopia is back, it’s like déjà vu”

Is Marc’s career at risk?

Crashes that, when added to his physical difficulties, can only compromise the confidence and mental strength of a rider who, up until Jerez 2020, appeared indestructible and who now appears increasingly fragile. The Marquez who was able to ride around the problems is apparently no more, simply because he now has issues that prevent him from exceeding the limit.

And so to the question we pose above… We hope, as does everybody, that Marc will be back on track soon, very soon, but the feeling is that the time needed for a full recovery could be extensive. In a MotoGP championship that is increasingly balanced and dominated by youngsters, the idea of retiring could well manifest in the mind of a champion who, at almost 30, has already won it all, and who might therefore decide to lay down his arms in the name of his health.

Translated by Heather Watson

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