Bengaluru, December 4: Six-time MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez possibly faces another six months on the sidelines after undergoing a third surgery on his right arm.
The surgery was required as a result of the slow healing of the humerus bone, which has not improved with specific shock wave treatment.
Though his Repsol Honda Team did not mention the exact recovery time, paddock rumours say it will take upto six months, which possibly rules Marquez out of the 2021 FIM MotoGP World Championship season opener to be held under lights at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar on March 28.
"Marc Marquez has undergone surgery at the Hospital Ruber Internacional, in Madrid, for a pseudarthrosis of the right humerus," a Repsol Honda Team statement said.
"The surgery, carried out by a team made up of doctors Samuel Antuna, Ignacio Roger de Oña, Juan de Miguel, Aitor Ibarzabal and Andrea Garcia Villanueva, consisted of the removal of the previous plate and the placement of a new plate with the addition of an iliac crest bone graft with a corticoperiosteal free flap," the Repsol Honda statement added.
Marc Marquez has undergone a new operation on his right arm as a result of the slow healing of the humerus bone, which has not improved with specific shock wave treatment.
— Repsol Honda Team (@HRC_MotoGP) December 3, 2020
The surgical procedure lasted for eight hours and was uneventful.https://t.co/9vZCyDMWBR
The Spaniard's hopes of a fifth straight title were all but ended by the injury suffered in the 2020 FIM MotoGP World Championship season opener at Jerez.
The 27-year-old fell off his bike while in the lead at the Spanish Grand Prix, retiring from the race, and then failed to start as he attempted a remarkable return at the next event.
Marc Marquez calls time on 2020 season, looking forward to next year
Marquez, who had never previously missed a MotoGP race in his career, had already undergone two operations on his arm.
"The surgical procedure lasted for eight hours and was uneventful," the Repsol Honda statement added.
(With Repsol Honda Media inputs)