Alex Márquez is recovering after a terrifying crash at the Barcelona Grand Prix left him with a fractured vertebra in his neck and a broken collarbone.
The 30-year-old MotoGP rider, who is the brother of seven-time champion Marc Márquez, was rushed by ambulance to the medical center at the Catalunya circuit before being transferred to a hospital for further treatment.
His Gresini Racing team later confirmed that Márquez had suffered a “marginal fracture” of the C7 vertebra in his neck, along with a fractured collarbone.
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Despite the frightening injuries, Márquez appeared to be in good spirits from his hospital bed. He shared a photo on Instagram giving a thumbs up and told fans, “Everything’s under control.”
“I have to go into surgery tonight, but I couldn’t be in better hands,” he wrote. “Thank you all so much for your concern and for all the kind messages I’m receiving.”
The terrifying crash happened when Márquez was left with no time to react after the bike in front of him suffered a mechanical issue.
He slammed into the back of race leader Pedro Acosta’s KTM while approaching turn 10, where riders can reach speeds of up to 180 mph.
The impact launched Márquez’s Ducati into the air after it hit a paved section between gravel traps. He was thrown from the bike and rolled violently near the wall as his motorcycle broke apart, sending debris flying across the track.
One of the wheels from Márquez’s wrecked bike even struck Fabio Di Giannantonio’s Ducati in the chaos.
Marc Márquez, Alex’s famous older brother and reigning MotoGP champion, was not racing that weekend after suffering injuries of his own during the previous round in Le Mans.
The Barcelona race quickly turned into a nightmare for riders and teams.
After the first red flag, the race was stopped again almost immediately following the restart when a three-bike crash left Honda rider Johann Zarco with leg injuries. His LCR Honda team later said the injuries were “not critical,” but he was also taken to the hospital for treatment.
After a third restart, Di Giannantonio somehow recovered from the earlier chaos and went on to claim his first victory since 2023.
But the repeated restarts sparked major concern among riders.
Jorge Martin, the 2024 MotoGP world champion, warned, “Three restarts are very dangerous.”
Acosta also questioned the decision, saying, “It was not necessary to make a third restart today.”
Di Giannantonio said he felt helpless when Márquez’s bike exploded into pieces around him.
“I just saw lots of pieces flying around and just tried to honestly hide myself inside the fairing and try to pass through,” he said.
He added that debris was already hitting riders on the straight before he was struck by what he was told may have been a tire.
“I was scared,” he admitted. “We’ve just been super lucky.”
For Márquez, the focus now turns to surgery, recovery, and further evaluation of his neck injury after one of the most frightening MotoGP crashes in recent memory.