MotoGP: Neil Hodgson fears for Marc Marquez after latest injury at Grand Prix France, but says 'write him off at your peril'

The 2025 MotoGP world champion suffered the crash on Saturday, during the Grand Prix France Sprint race.

The 33-year-old Spaniard had struggled all season for his best form as he searched for his full fitness after a crash at Grand Prix Indonesia last October, which forced him into shoulder surgery.

The incident in France led to fractured bones in his foot, and after the race, Marquez revealed that he had planned for shoulder surgery, to clean up a radial nerve problem arising from the screw in the joint, after Grand Prix Catalunya next week.

That surgery has now been brought forward to Sunday, meaning he will miss the action both this weekend and in Spain.

Marquez’s career has been blighted by injury, often caused by his willingness to suffer crashes in search of the edge that sets him apart from the rest of the competition on track.

Speaking to TNT Sports, Hodgson wondered if Marquez had it in him to go through more rehab and recovery, while refusing to give up hope completely.

Hodgson said: "The question is, can he come back again? It's hard for me to even fathom [for Marquez] to dig even deeper.

"So many times [he’s] been in this situation and dug ridiculously deep. It's like he's hit concrete. We will find out. Write him off at your peril. We've seen it all before."

On Saturday, Marquez spoke to TNT Sports to discuss the severity and type of problem he had with his shoulder.

First, he admitted that he already felt out of contention for the 2026 title, with Aprilia duo Marco Bezzecchi and Jorge Martin - Saturday’s sprint race winner - looking set for a title tussle over the rest of the campaign.

He explained: ”I already told you I was not ready to fight for the championship. I knew and I didn’t say anything because I don't like to cry in front of microphones, but I just try to work in my garage.

”I try to convince myself. But when you have a physical problem you cannot do anything, and it's where I need to take a rest, and as I showed today in Q1 I can be fast because I know how to ride. 

”But I can also make stupid mistakes because when something is touching the nerve in your arm, it's not following what you want to do.”

There is some hope for Ducati Lenovo, with Francesco Bagnaia quick again after his own problems.

He claimed second spot on the podium for the Italian manufacturer in the Sprint, and remains one of the favourites for a potentially wet full-length race on Sunday.

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