Marc Marquez forced out of Algarve MotoGP after suffering concussion

Marc Marquez will not compete in this weekend’s Algarve MotoGP at Portimao after suffering an accident during training that left him with a concussion.

The six-time MotoGP World Champion had planned to head into this weekend’s Portuguese event seeking a third consecutive win following triumphs at COTA and Misano, but will instead be forced to watch from the sidelines. 

In a year that has seen Marquez battle back from a long spell out with a shoulder injury, Repsol Honda confirmed the Spaniard suffered a fall during an off-road training session and banged his head.

Diagnosed with concussion, Marquez reported feeling ‘unwell’ in the days after, prompting doctors to recommend he sit this weekend’s round out.

"This past Saturday Marc Marquez, while preparing for the Algarve Grand Prix with one of his standard off-road training sessions, suffered a fall that caused a slight head concussion," said a Repsol Honda statement.

"After a few days of rest at home and seeing that he was still unwell, today Marquez has been assessed by doctors in a medical check-up to evaluate his current status.

"As a precautionary measure, this coming weekend Marquez will not contest the Algarve Grand Prix."

Having missed the entirety of the 2020 MotoGP season and the beginning of the 2021 campaign with a shoulder injury sustained in an accident at Jerez last year, Marquez - the dominant figure of the sport in the run up to that accident - has begun showing the form that had him win six titles in seven seasons.

Indeed, despite a crash-strewn campaign, Marquez shone with a win at the Sachsenring, before reeling victories at the most recent US and Emilia Romagna MotoGP rounds. Lifting him to sixth in the standings, only champion Fabio Quartararo has won more races this season.

The absence will deny Marquez the chance to gauge the progress of his slow injury recovery, having made Portimao the venue for his big comeback during Round 3.