Wayne Gardner: “Marc Marquez should retire - I’m worried about his future life”

Wayne Gardner, the 1987 500cc world champion, claims he is concerned by the quality of Marquez’s life as he grows older having already suffered so many injuries.

2023 has been full of crashes, and injuries, for Marquez who is currently rehabilitating from a rib problem.

“Marc has been through a lot of injuries, but he comes back and gets injured again,” Gardner told Motosan. 

“In my day, if we had five or six crashes a year, you could seriously injure yourself. 

“However, thanks to all the current equipment, riders get injured less, but fall more. 

“In short: they get away with it. 

“I have been in the same situation as Marc, in a situation where you have suffered many injuries and it is difficult to win again.

“The mentality changes, the body weakens and all of this becomes a cycle of frustration. 

“My opinion is that Marquez should retire while he can. 

“I'm a big fan of his, but I'm afraid he'll get hurt if he tries to come back. 

“The bikes have changed, the riders are much younger. He is already 30 years old and it is a different mentality. 

“I do not say this as a critical point of view, I am worried about his future life. 

“You have to understand that you still have 50 more years to live.”

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Repsol Honda rider Marquez persevered through career-threatening arm surgery last summer and entered this season injury-free for the first time in years.

But an opening-weekend crash in Portimao caused a hand injury which sidelined him for three rounds, and he has since endured disastrous back-to-back rounds at the Sachsenring and Assen where he was forced to withdraw from both grands prix just hours before they began.

“Winning another race after having eight world championships should not be a priority now,” Gardner said. 

“My opinion is that he has already done enough.

“The problem is that Marc is so, so competitive that he keeps rolling faster and faster until he crashes. 

“We've all been in that position and one day you wake up and say to yourself maybe you shouldn't take such a risk and that you'd like to enjoy the rest of your life. That's how I see it today."

Marquez’s multiple crashes are largely considered to be because he is over-riding a limited bike.

“At Honda they are not investing in good test riders,” Gardner said. 

“They are relying on Marquez, who is very fast, but I don't think he is a very good test rider. Marquez is very talented, but the problem is that he is not a test rider and he does not know how to improve the bike. 

“This is where a lot of riders aren't up to his level and he keeps pushing beyond what the bike itself is.”