Marc Márquez, the seven-time MotoGP world champion, is set to miss the next two rounds of the championship after suffering a shoulder injury in a crash at the Indonesian Grand Prix.
Ducati confirmed on Monday that Márquez sustained a fracture at the base of the coracoid process of his right shoulder combined with a ligament injury, sidelining him for the Australian and Malaysian Grands Prix.
The accident occurred on the opening lap at the Mandalika circuit when Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi collided with the rear of Márquez’s Ducati, sending both riders tumbling into the gravel at high speed. Márquez remained bent over by the side of the track for several seconds before eventually making his way back to the pits, clutching his shoulder.
While initial scans had pointed toward a collarbone or shoulder injury, subsequent radiological assessment confirmed that the fracture was at the coracoid base with no major displacement, and there is no connection to his prior shoulder injuries.
In a statement released by Ducati, the team said that clinical examination and imaging ruled out any major bone shift, and they opted for a conservative treatment plan involving rest and immobilization rather than immediate surgery. The Spanish rider, speaking through the team, stressed that recovery must not be rushed and that his priority is returning fully fit.
“My goal is to be back before the end of the season, but without rushing things beyond the doctors’ recommendations,” he said. “Both my personal and the team’s main goals have been achieved, so now the priority is to recover properly and return at 100 percent.”
Though Márquez has clinched the 2025 championship with several rounds to spare, his absence comes at a delicate moment for Ducati. The team must now decide whether to deploy a replacement rider or rely on alternate testing riders in Australia and Malaysia.
According to reports, Ducati test rider Michele Pirro is a likely candidate to fill in, though wildcards are restricted under the team’s status.
Márquez’s history with shoulder and arm injuries adds weight to the situation, though Ducati emphasized that this latest injury is clean and unconnected to earlier damage. He first fractured his right humerus in 2020, a catastrophic injury that required multiple surgeries and left lingering concerns about his long-term resilience.
In this season, however, he has enjoyed one of the strongest campaigns of his career, dominating many rounds and securing his seventh world title.
The timing is especially unfortunate as Márquez has long been a force at Phillip Island, one of his most successful circuits. His absence reduces the competitive drama for that round, and analysts note that his withdrawal effectively ends any chance he had of breaking his own record for most Grand Prix wins in a single season.
With two rounds lost, Márquez is still theoretically eligible to return for the season’s closing events in Portugal and Valencia, should he meet medical clearance. In its announcement, Ducati left open the possibility that Márquez could feature again, depending on how his recovery proceeds.
If he is able to resume, the final two events become a test of both his physical limits and his will to cap off the season strongly.
Márquez’s accident also opened the door for others to push forward in the championship. In Indonesia, rookie Fermin Aldeguer claimed his first premier-class victory amid the chaos of the opening-lap crash, while Bezzecchi and others who survived the incident will now see the door slightly wider for better finishes in the coming rounds.