File photo: “If I come back with the mentality that I can win this championship, I ‌will be injured again,” he told ​MotoGP on Thursday. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

Reigning MotoGP champion Marc Marquez played down expectations ahead of his ​return at the Italian Grand Prix this ‌weekend, saying he needs time to ​get back into top shape ⁠after undergoing two surgeries following a crash.

Marquez missed the French Grand Prix race as well ‌as the entire Catalan Grand Prix weekend after fracturing his foot ‌in the crash at Le Mans.

After ‌having ⁠surgery on a metatarsal fracture as ⁠well as a separate shoulder operation, the 33-year-old has been given the green light to compete ​in the first ‌practice session in Mugello on Friday.

“If I come back with the mentality that I can win this championship, I ‌will be injured again,” he told ​ MotoGP on Thursday.

“Let’s see that if in the next races I ⁠can rebuild my right arm, and from that point I know the speed will ‌arrive. But, first of all, I need to feel well about my physical condition.”

The Spaniard said his shoulder injury, which he picked up in a crash at the Indonesian Grand Prix in October ‌last year, was his primary concern rather than ​his recent foot fracture.

“The foot is peanuts, the foot, nothing, I ⁠was ready to race in Catalunya. It’s more ⁠the shoulder was my biggest limitation these last months,” he added.

Marquez ‌is ninth in the riders’ standings, 85 points behind Aprilia’s championship leader Marco ​Bezzecchi.

Published on May 29, 2026