Marquez to return at Austin MotoGP

Six-time world champion says ‘we have some work to do’ after missing first two races with diplopia

PARIS:

Six-time MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez will return this weekend at the Grand Prix of the Americas in Austin, his Honda team announced Wednesday.

The Spaniard suffered from double vision after a heavy crash in Indonesia last month and missed last week's race in Argentina.

Marquez also suffered from diplopia, or double vision, at the end of last season.

"We have some work to do after missing two races and the whole Argentina weekend so I am not here to set one target at the moment," he said.

"There's many things to do and consider, but the important thing is that we are back on the bike this weekend."

Marquez has won the American Grand Prix seven times in his career, only missing out on victory in 2019 when he failed to finish the race.

"Of course I am very happy to be back, it's a great feeling to return and especially to do it at one of my favourite tracks," he added.

"No matter the situation, I really enjoy riding in Texas and have incredible memories there."

The 29-year-old, who finished fifth in the first race of 2022 in Qatar, has struggled with a series of injuries in recent seasons.

He missed almost the entirety of the 2020 campaign after breaking his right arm in the season-opening race.

Marquez also sat out the first two Grands Prix last year before struggling to recapture his best form when he returned.

However, he did win back-to-back races before the initial bout of diplopia.

This season, Marquez is already 34 points adrift of the early championship leader Aleix Espargaro.