Marquez confirms advice behind Hadjar withdrawal
"My life has changed a lot since I was injured in Jerez"
Marc Marquez has confirmed that Isack Hadjar contacted him for advice before deciding to sit out the Dutch GP with his wrist injury.
Hadjar had already revealed that the MotoGP champion’s opinion helped convince him not to risk racing at Zandvoort.
Speaking ahead of the Aragon MotoGP, Marquez - who shares a physio with the Red Bull driver - confirmed the exchange.
"Hadjar contacted me," he said.
"I’m not a doctor, of course, but I gave him some advice because for a rider, this kind of situation is sometimes incredibly difficult."
"Sometimes you think, ’OK, maybe I can race.’ But it’s hard to accept saying, ’Ok, I’m going to miss this race and I’m going to prepare as best I can for the next one.’"
Marquez said his own injury history backed up the advice.
"I learned from my own experience that missing a race doesn’t change the course of your life, whereas aggravating your injury by returning too soon can have very serious consequences."
"My life has changed a lot since I was injured in Jerez. I just wanted to give Isack this advice."
"And I think he made the right decision because he has a long career ahead of him."