On Thursday in Hungary, Marc Marquez provides an update on his physical condition—Jorge Martin sees him as the favorite at Balaton Park, but Marquez disagrees
After MotoGP World Champion Marc Marquez made his comeback from injury last weekend at the Italian Grand Prix in Mugello, finishing P5 (Sprint) and P7 (Grand Prix), he is now providing an update on his physical condition at the start of the Hungarian weekend at Balaton Park.
In Mugello, Marquez did receive medical clearance to ride on Thursday and Friday. However, he was far from fully recovered from the double surgery performed on May 10 on his right shoulder and right foot.
As for his foot, Marquez wore a brace for stabilization during the Italian weekend. He continues to wear it this weekend in Hungary. However, the greater limitation was and remains his right shoulder. It was operated on May 10 to prevent a screw from a previous surgery from continuing to press on a nerve.
Shoulder injured in Indonesia “still very weak”
“Getting the nerve issue under control—that’s the main thing,” says Marquez, explaining: “Nerves are connected to the muscles. At Mugello, I noticed that a few muscles that weren’t working properly before are now causing different kinds of pain and giving different feedback.”
“The entire front part of the shoulder, including the collarbone and biceps, is the area I need to train even more. That will take time,” explains Marquez, recalling the first weekend of October 2025: “That is, of course, exactly the area that was injured in Indonesia. And that’s why I need even more time. A few of the muscles in that area are still very weak.”
“I know this won’t be a short recovery period. It will take a few weeks, especially until I feel comfortable on the bike again. But first, my physical condition has to be right,” says the 2025 MotoGP World Champion.
Marquez doesn’t expect much at Balaton Park
According to Marquez, the Hungarian weekend comes too soon to think about being seriously competitive. “I believe, or rather I hope, that I’ll feel a change between the races at Balaton and in Brno,” he says, already looking ahead to the Czech Republic Grand Prix. That race is scheduled for the weekend of June 20–21 on the 2026 MotoGP calendar.
At Balaton Park, where the Hungarian Grand Prix is taking place this weekend for the second time since 2025, Marc Marquez is the defending champion. However, the Ducati factory rider does not believe he can repeat his triumph from last August. Instead, he sees the Aprilia factory team, with Marco Bezzecchi and Jorge Martin, as clear favorites.
“If I’m able to compete for the win or the podium here,” says Marquez, “that would mean the others didn’t do something right. Marco in particular, but also [Jorge] Martin and the others are riding at a different level right now. At Mugello, they showed me just how much faster they are.”
Martin has Marquez on his radar, but Marquez disagrees
Jorge Martin sees it differently. The Spaniard riding for Aprilia definitely has Marquez on his radar for this weekend. Martin himself was injured for much of the 2025 season and achieved his best result of the season with a P4 finish at the Hungarian Grand Prix that year.
When asked on Thursday whether he expects Marquez to make his mark again this year at the Balaton Park Circuit, Martin replied: “I hope so. Last year, he made the difference here. He dominated like crazy. I think he’ll be the one to beat this weekend, too.”
Marquez, however, strongly disagrees. He clearly sees Bezzecchi and Martin as the favorites this weekend: “I can only try to stay as close to them as possible here, but I think that will be impossible. As I’ve already said: If I’m the one to beat here, it’s only because they didn’t get something right. If they’re in good form, they’ll be significantly faster than me.”