Marc Marquez has been ruled out of both the French Grand Prix and the Catalan Grand Prix after suffering a serious injury during the MotoGP sprint race at Le Mans. Ducati confirmed that the reigning world champion sustained a fracture to the fifth metatarsal in his right foot.
The accident occurred on the penultimate lap of Saturday’s sprint while Marquez was running in seventh position. The Spanish rider suffered a violent highside crash that immediately ended his race. After returning to the Ducati garage, Marquez struggled to walk and was unable to place weight on his right foot before being taken to the medical centre for further evaluation.
Medical examinations and X-rays later confirmed the fracture in his right foot. Ducati stated that Marquez will fly to Madrid immediately to undergo surgery within the coming days.
“Following the crash during the sprint at the French GP and after a medical check and X-ray, Marc was declared unfit with a fifth metatarsal fracture in his right foot,” Ducati said in an official statement.
“He will fly to Madrid tonight to undergo surgery in the next few days. He will also not participate in the Catalan GP next week.”
The injury represents another major setback for Marquez’s MotoGP title defence in 2026. Across the opening five rounds of the season, the Ducati rider has struggled to maintain consistency. Marquez has already failed to finish two grands prix and has yet to secure a Sunday podium finish, despite claiming two sprint race victories earlier in the year.
The championship situation has also become increasingly difficult after the Le Mans crash left him 51 points behind Aprilia rider Marco Bezzecchi in the standings. Marquez’s physical condition has remained under scrutiny throughout the season as he continues to deal with shoulder problems originating from his Indonesian Grand Prix crash last year.
Marquez has since revealed that he was already scheduled to undergo shoulder surgery following the Barcelona round. The injury is reportedly linked to a damaged screw that has been causing nerve-related issues for several months.
Ironically, the Le Mans weekend had initially started positively for Marquez. He successfully advanced through Q1 while setting a new lap record and qualified second on the grid. However, once the sprint race began, he struggled to find rhythm and steadily lost positions before crashing out.
Marquez’s absence also comes at a moment when Ducati appears to have made a clear performance step forward in recent races. Alex Marquez secured victory in Spain, while Francesco Bagnaia claimed pole position at Le Mans.
The situation now creates a major opportunity for Ducati’s rivals to extend their championship advantage before Marquez returns to competition following surgery and rehabilitation.
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