Marc Marquez has explained why he advised Isack Hadjar against competing in Formula 1’s Dutch Grand Prix while recovering from a wrist injury.
The Red Bull driver was keen to race at Zandvoort last weekend despite having injured his wrist the week before while working out in a gym.
But the 21-year-old ultimately elected to sit out the race after discussing the situation with team principal Laurent Mekies and former Red Bull athlete Marquez, who both urged him to focus on his recovery.
Reigning MotoGP world champion Marquez has now revealed that Hadjar reached out to him in the wake of his injury, asking for advice on how to approach his recovery.
Having watched his own career getting derailed by an arm fracture at Jerez in 2020, Marquez told the French-Algerian driver not to rush into a comeback, warning him of the potential ramifications.
“Hadjar contacted me,” Marquez told 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 OK, maybe you can. But it’s difficult to accept that, ‘OK, I will skip this race and I will prepare myself in a better way for the next one’.
Isack Hadjar
Photo by: Rainier Ehrhardt
“And it’s just what I said. I learned in the past that missing one race will not change your life. 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].”
Marquez’s comments reflect a significant change in his mindset, with the factory Ducati rider repeatedly admitting in recent years that he has learned to accept his physical limitations.
The Spaniard’s MotoGP career nearly ended when he broke a bone in his arm during a nasty highside at the 2020 season opener in Jerez. After undergoing immediate surgery, he attempted to return to competition just days later at the Andalucian GP, but the additional stresses placed on his body weakened the plate that was attached to his arm.
Withdrawing midway through the weekend, he ended up missing the entire season, and it wasn’t until a fourth operation in 2022 that he was able to regain much of the mobility he had lost in his arm.
Hadjar’s absence from the Dutch GP saw Liam Lawson promoted from Racing Bulls to replace him at Red Bull, with Yuki Tsunoda taking Lawson’s place at the sister team.
It remains unclear when Hadjar will return to action, with the next grand prix scheduled at Monza which will host the Italian GP on 4-6 September.
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– The Autosport.com Team
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