Alex Márquez will miss the Qatar MotoGP after undergoing surgery on his right shoulder following the Malaysian race. The Gresini Racing rider finished second in Malaysia and confirmed his absence after the event. He initially expected to be ready to return at the Portuguese Grand Prix in mid-November.

The operation was carried out at Ruber Internacional Hospital in Madrid. Márquez said surgeons removed osteosynthesis hardware from his right collarbone and left hand, while an arthroscopic bursectomy was also performed on the shoulder. That procedure removed a small bursa, a fluid-filled structure that helps reduce friction between tendons and the joint.

The shoulder problem dates back to Márquez’s crash in Catalunya earlier in the season, while he had been experiencing discomfort since the Indonesian MotoGP. Márquez said the surgery was completed without complications and that his recovery had begun at home. He also thanked Dr Samuel Antuña and the medical team for their work.

Gresini Racing will have another absence in Qatar, with Fermín Aldeguer ruled out by the broken hand he suffered in a crash in Indonesia. Iker Lecuona is therefore expected to be the team’s only rider at the event, having replaced Aldeguer from the Australian Grand Prix onwards.