Isack Hadjar sat out the Dutch Grand Prix due to a hand injury because MotoGP star Marc Marquez had advised him to do so: The Spaniard reveals the details
Isack Hadjar had to sit out the Dutch Grand Prix due to a wrist injury he sustained while working out at the gym. However, the decisive advice that he should not race did not come from the team doctor, but rather from MotoGP champion Marc Marquez.
The reigning motorcycle world champion confirmed that Hadjar had reached out to him after his injury and asked for advice on how to approach his recovery. And for good reason: Marquez has suffered numerous injuries himself throughout his career.
“Of course, I’m not a doctor,” the Spaniard said in an interview with MotoGP.com, “but just as a piece of advice, because sometimes it’s really difficult for a rider—or in this case, a race car driver—because you sometimes think, ‘Okay, maybe you can do it.’”
Why Marc Marquez advised Hadjar against racing
“But it’s hard to accept: ‘Okay, I’m going to skip this race and prepare for the next one in a better way.’” Hadjar, too, was initially unsure whether he should start at Zandvoort after all. After all, that was where he’d secured his first Formula 1 podium the previous year.
In the end, however, he decided against participating—partly on Marquez’s advice. “That’s exactly what I said,” reveals the MotoGP rider. “I’ve learned in the past that skipping a race won’t change your life.”
On the contrary: “Skipping a race or aggravating your injury by racing too soon can change your life,” the Ducati factory rider knows from personal experience. “My life has changed a lot since the injury in Jerez.”
Marc Marquez speaks from personal experience …
The Spaniard’s career nearly came to an end back then. He broke a bone in his arm during a violent highside at the 2020 season opener in Jerez. After undergoing immediate surgery, he attempted to return to racing just a few days later at the Andalusian Grand Prix.
But the additional strain on his body weakened the plate attached to his arm. Marquez ultimately missed the entire 2020 season. It wasn’t until after a fourth surgery in 2022 that he was able to regain much of the mobility he had lost in his arm.
“So yes, I just tried to give Hadjar that advice,” says the MotoGP rider, who shares the same physical therapist—Carlos J. Garcia—as the Formula 1 driver. “I think he made the right decision because he still has a long career ahead of him.”
