Marc Marquez has shed light on the conversation he had with Isack Hadjar that ultimately persuaded the Red Bull driver to sit out last weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix whilst recovering from a wrist injury.
Hadjar had sustained the injury during a gym session in the build-up to Zandvoort and was initially keen to race, but after consulting Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies and nine-time MotoGP champion Marquez, a former Red Bull athlete, he opted to stand down and prioritise his recovery.
Marquez confirmed that Hadjar had sought him out directly for guidance, drawing on his own bitter experience of returning too soon from a serious arm injury sustained at Jerez in 2020.
“Hadjar contacted me,” the Spanish rider said to MotoGP.com. “I’m not a doctor, of course, but just for advice.
“Because sometimes for a rider, or a driver in this case, it’s super difficult because sometimes you feel that okay, maybe you can. But it’s difficult to accept that, ‘Okay, I will skip this race and I will prepare myself in a better way for the next one’.”
Marquez’s comments carry considerable weight given what he endured following that 2020 highside. After undergoing surgery, he attempted a comeback just days later at the Andalucian Grand Prix, only for the additional strain to compromise the plate fitted to his arm.
He withdrew mid-weekend and missed the remainder of the season entirely, eventually requiring a fourth operation in 2022 to recover much of the mobility he had lost.
“And it’s just what I said,” the 33-year-old added. “I learned in the past that missing one race will not change your life. Missing, or worsening your injury because you ride too early, can change your life.”
“My life changed a lot since the Jerez injury. So yeah, I just tried to give that advice to Hadjar, and I think he took the correct decision because he has a long career in front [of him].”
With Hadjar absent from Zandvoort, Liam Lawson was promoted from Racing Bulls to deputise at Red Bull, while Arvid Lindblad stepped up at the sister team.
It remains to be seen whether Hadjar will be fit to return for the Italian Grand Prix at Monza next weekend. If unable to compete, Red Bull and Racing Bulls will carry the Dutch Grand Prix driver pairings over.
Marquez really is talking from experience
Marquez’s comments carry considerable weight given what he endured following that 2020 highside.
After undergoing surgery, he attempted a comeback just days later at the Andalucian Grand Prix, only for the additional strain to compromise the plate fitted to his arm.
He withdrew mid-weekend and missed the remainder of the season entirely, eventually requiring a fourth operation in 2022 to recover much of the mobility he had lost.
“And it’s just what I said,” the 33-year-old added. “I learned in the past that missing one race will not change your life. Missing, or worsening your injury because you ride too early, can change your life.”
“My life changed a lot since the Jerez injury. So yeah, I just tried to give that advice to Hadjar, and I think he took the correct decision because he has a long career in front [of him].”
With Hadjar absent from Zandvoort, Liam Lawson was promoted from Racing Bulls to deputise at Red Bull, while Arvid Lindblad stepped up at the sister team.
It remains to be seen whether Hadjar will be fit to return for the Italian Grand Prix at Monza next weekend. If unable to compete, Red Bull and Racing Bulls will carry the Dutch Grand Prix driver pairings over.