Two MotoGP riders remain in hospital after the Catalan Grand Prix was twice halted due to serious crashes. Alex Marquez of Gresini Racing and Johann Zarco of LCR Honda sustained fractures in separate incidents that led to the race being red-flagged.
Marquez's Crash and Injuries
Marquez was unable to react in time when Pedro Acosta's bike lost power. He slammed into the back of the KTM, careered towards the wall, and cartwheeled through the air after losing control on the gravel. He was immediately rushed to the hospital, where scans confirmed a marginal fracture on the vertebra near his neck and a fracture on his right collarbone. The Spaniard is set to undergo surgery later on Sunday.
"Everything's under control. I'm due to go into the operating theatre tonight, but I couldn't be in better hands," Marquez said on X, formerly Twitter. "Thank you all so much for your concern and for the kind messages I've been receiving."
Zarco's Crash and Injuries
After the race restarted, Zarco was involved in a crash when he braked late on turn one of the first lap, taking out Ducati's Francesco Bagnaia and Honda's Luca Marini in a three-rider pile-up. Both Bagnaia and Marini immediately signalled for help from track marshals after Zarco tumbled across the gravel with his leg caught on Bagnaia's bike.
"Don't worry, we're still waiting for the test results. I've got a neck brace on, but it's more of a nuisance than anything else," Zarco said on Instagram. "It's mainly the knee, the ligaments have snapped. But the femur isn't broken. There's a small fracture at the bottom of the fibula, on the outside of my left ankle. So there you go, I'll keep you posted. Just to put your minds at rest, really. More of a scare than anything... I'm staying in hospital tonight because they want to keep an eye on me."
