Marc Marquez’ return to MotoGP action looks like it will not happen at the Qatar season opener after a statement today promised a ‘gradual’ re-introduction to the grid.

The former champion broke his his arm at Jerez last year and has undergone 14 weeks of treatment for an infected pseudoarthrosis of the right humerus.

The statement from Repsol Honda reads:

In the medical review performed on Marc Marquez, 14 weeks after surgery for an infected pseudoarthrosis of the right humerus, the medical team led by Doctors Samuel Antuña and Ignacio Roger de Oña have clinically and radiographically verified satisfactory progression of bone consolidation.

From this moment on, Marquez can now intensify his strength and mobility recovery programme with a view to gradually returning to competitive racing.