Marquez has been out of action since last July when he broke his right arm in a serious fall at the first Spanish Grand Prix.
He has since undergone three surgeries, the last of which was in December when he grafted bone onto his humerus from the hip.
He was also being treated for an infection in his arm following the second operation he had with the Andalusian general practitioner in August after an aborted comeback days after his first operation.
Marquez’s arm showed signs of proper recovery after his third surgery. The Honda rider was released for training with motorcycles again earlier this month.
Even so, the doctors advised him not to race during the opening lap of the 2021 campaign in Qatar over the weekend.
“After the last check with the medical team, the doctors told me that it would be wise not to compete in the Qatar Grand Prix and continue with the recovery plan that has been in place over the past few weeks,” said Marquez.
“I would have liked to have taken part in the opening race of the World Cup, but we have to keep working to restore the optimal conditions that will allow us to return to competition.”
The decision of the Marquez doctors to discourage racing in Qatar was motivated by a desire not to put the still-recovering humerus under “intense competition” after such a long period of inactivity.
According to Honda, he will undergo another medical exam on April 12 that will also exclude him from the Doha GP in Qatar next weekend. HRC has yet to confirm this, but Marquez posted it on social media.
“After the last check-up with the medical team, they advised me not to take part in the two races in Qatar so that we can continue to recover so that we can start again as soon as possible,” he wrote on Instagram.
Marquez made his first public appearance with Honda at the factory team launch event in 2021 last month, confirming the race was a goal in the first race in Qatar.
He acknowledged, however, that this decision will be dictated by the advice of his doctors – Marquez is giving clear signals that he has learned from the mistakes of last July.
Marquez drove an RC213V-S Honda racing bike to Barcelona and the Algarve Circuit in Portugal last week after intensifying his training.
Though Honda has not yet confirmed his replacement, his place will be taken by HRC test driver Stefan Bradl, who has stood up for the injured six-time world champion since last year’s Czech GP.