Marc Marquez, chief mechanic: “It’s unbearable for him.”

Santi Hernandez: “Not competing for so long was so hard for Marc Marquez.”

Marc Marquez’s chief mechanic, Santi Hernandez, told Dazn Spain’s microphones some of the background of Marc Marquez’s two nightmarish years after the infamous Jerez injury, which put the Catalan’s career in very strong doubt.

“For someone like him to be so long without getting on a motorcycle and competing is something unbearable and it was very hard,” he explained. “He had to revise a lot of his character and not only the way he trains, but, in fact, with me he has always remained the same, although I am well aware of what went through his head during all that time.

“The fourth operation a few months ago was in or out. If even something small had gone wrong Marc would have had to stop. Fortunately, everything seems to have gone well, but there is still a lot of work to be done.”

Marquez will not be satisfied with racing: “For Marc winning is the only thing that matters, the only thing that makes him really feel good.”