MotoGP champion Marc Márquez had a crash and got injured the first Grand Prix after clinging to his seventh MotoGP World Champion title (first since 2019, after a series of near career-ending injuries during the early 2020s), ninth world title overall. After colliding with Marco Bezzecchi, he suffered a shoulder injury, and initially doctors opted to avoid surgery, hoping it would heal on its own with his shoulder immobilised.
However, his team Ducati Lenovo announced on Monday that the 32-year-old rider was not showing sufficient signs of stabilisation, and underwent surgery successfully in Madrid. "Given the risk of residual instability, it was decided to go ahead with surgical stabilisation and repair the acromioclavicular ligaments".
They didn't give a new estimated date of recovery, but they still expect that Márquez will be available for the season finale in Valencia, on November 14-16, where he will be able to celebrate his title with the local crowds.
This weekend, the competition returns from two straight weeks in Australia (October 19) and Malaysia (October 26).