How Marc Marquez rates his own fitness ahead of Mugello comeback

The factory Ducati rider was declared fit to practice in Italy on Friday morning, but how does the man himself see his bill of health?

MotoGP's medical director Dr Angel Charte has given Marc Marquez the all-clear to return to the track when the Italian Grand Prix weekend gets under way on Friday morning.

As per standard procedure in the case of a rider returning from injury, there will be another fitness check following that opening session. Only then can Marquez get the green light to continue with his weekend.

Marquez, who has missed the last two grands prix for a double operation on his foot and shoulder, does not expect any issues as far as medical clearance for the race weekend is concerned.

"Yes, of course, if I'm here [at Mugello], it's because I feel like I can finish the whole weekend," the Ducati rider told media on Thursday. "Not with the maximum intensity, obviously."

But with the second part of that remark, Marquez put his expectations for the Italian Grand Prix into firm perspective. He might be fit enough to manhandle his factory Ducati around the rollercoaster Tuscan track, but he's not promising peak performance.

"I need to start step by step," the Spaniard added. "I don't care about the foot. It's nothing that will have [a performance] limitation. But the right shoulder takes time."

Marc Marquez, Ducati Team

Photo by: Ducati Corse

Marquez went on to reveal that the procedure had presented his surgeons with more challenges than expected. The initial plan had simply been to remove a screw that had come loose following a previous operation.

"They planned to take out only one, but when they opened it was more damage than what they expected," he explained. "And then they took out two screws plus one bone.

"And then, yes, they opened in a correct way, because they needed to understand well where was the nerve. So for that reason, still I'm not feeling perfect."

That brings us back to the reigning champion's cautious assessment of what he can deliver as he returns to Mugello – where he scored victory from pole position last season.

"It will take time, but we analysed with our doctors that now is the correct time to jump on the bike and continue with my evolution. But with the correct mentality," he insisted.

A big part of that mentality will be finding a way to ride around pain or discomfort - a challenge with which Marquez has become well acquainted since first damaging his right arm in a tumble at Jerez in 2020.

"Let's see if, during the weekend, I can adapt in a correct way [to] the different feelings I will have," he concluded.