The agony of Marc Marquez - “like a hammer hitting you…”

The Repsol Honda star came through a career-threatening arm surgery last summer and showed rays of lights at the back end of 2022, to suggest.

A documentary released ahead of this season showed Marquez’s personal turmoil and his painstaking comeback.

“Sacrifice is a good word to describe the situation,” he said.

“If you want something, you must say no to many things.

“I was living in my hometown but I moved to Madrid because the physios and doctors were here.

“I said no to my friends and family. I changed completely my life.

“This is for one target - to win again.

“Not just to be a ‘good’ rider.

“Last winter I was working in a good way then, at the first race, ‘bang’ another injury.”

Marquez, in the very first sprint race at Portimao, clattered into Miguel Oliveira, injuring them both.

He required surgery on a hand, and missed three rounds.

“It is like a hammer hitting you,” he said. 

“But you must continue. Keep going.

“That’s what I did. I came back at Le Mans, and had a good weekend.

“But with one-and-a-half laps to finish the race, I crashed.

“Another hammer hitting you.

“We will have another opportunity. Each time, it is closer and closer.”

Marquez has yet to complete a grand prix in 2023.

His problems have only worsened - at the Sachsenring, usually among his favourite circuits, he crashed five times before Sunday’s race and was forced to pull out.

A week later, he rushed a comeback to Assen but again pulled out of the grand prix, not having recovered enough.

Marquez is 19th in the MotoGP standings with his hopes of a seventh premier class championship gone for at least a year.