The weather conditions for MotoGP’s qualifying session at Mugello were less than ideal. Despite the wet conditions, the track surface was just dry enough to make slick tires the ideal tire for the session. Eight-time world champion Marc Márquez was the first to get bit during Q2, and he got bit hard. It also seems to be when the Honda rider decided that he should sit out from racing after this weekend to deal with long-running health problems.

As the field exited the pit lane and began an out-lap to start Q2, Márquez got thrown off his Honda in a hellacious high side while riding through Turn 2. The race bike was completely destroyed in the crash and burst into flames. Márquez was able to get back to the pitlane, get on a second bike and finish the session. Though, the Spaniard qualified 12th of 12 riders in Q2.

After qualifying, Marc Márquez announced that he would undergo a fourth surgery on his right humerus. The operation will take place this Tuesday at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Márquez will still ride in tomorrow’s Italian Grand Prix. The decision was made because his physical condition hasn’t improved over the last few months forcing him to ride in pain. Márquez’s most recent surgery was 18 months ago, to fix the humerus in his right arm after crashing in the 2020 season-opening Spanish Grand Prix.

In a statement, Márquez said:

“Unfortunately, I have to take a break from the 2022 season that will keep me away from competition for a while. After all these months of intense work with my new medical team in Madrid, my physical condition has improved and I have reduced the discomfort in my right arm to be able to compete at the Grands Prix, but I still have significant limitations in my humerus that does not allow me to ride the bike properly and achieve the goals I have always set for myself.”

Despite his three race victories in 2021, it’s clear that Márquez still has fully recovered from the crash that forced him out of the 2020 season. He has frequently mentioned how mobility in his right arm and shoulder is still limited and how he can’t ride the bike to the best of his ability. Hopefully, the eight-time world champion will properly return after this procedure. Though, it’s unclear to anyone, including Márquez, when he will return to competition.