King of COTA Marc Marquez returns to Austin in difficult circumstances, after the Repsol Honda rider suffered a second bout of diplopia in just six months.

Having struggled throughout the Indonesia weekend with the new Michelin casing brought in especially for the high temperatures and challenging surface at Mandalika, Marquez suffered multiple crashes on the RC213V, culminating in a massive highside in morning warm up. The resulting head trauma brought about a recurrence of his double vision due to nerve damage, with the Spaniard sitting out of Argentina to recover.

While questions hung in the air over his attendance at the track he has dominated since its, and his, arrival in MotoGP, a late call had the 29-year-old on a plane to Texas in time for Thursday’s press conference.

“After Mandalika, was a really hard week,” Marquez admitted on his most recent recovery. “But lucky for me that the injury, the vision injury was much less effect than last time. Even for Argentina was very close to come but I didn’t feel motivated. I didn’t feel motivated to take that risk to come in Argentina and I didn’t want. We discussed with the doctor and we prefer to stay at home, relax and then I start to train again in a good way.

“This week I had another doctor check and the vision was fixed. One more week and then I try a bike. Let’s see. Let’s see. Of course I arrive here not in my best way, here in AmericasGP but we will try to do a great FP1 and then from that point start our weekend.

“Actually, I don’t remember a lot,” he said of his latest accident. “Just I remember more from the video, from the images, than what I feel, what I remember.

“But it’s true that the Indonesia GP was one of my worst GPs in my career, because I crash too many times. Some crashes that I didn’t understand, especially the warm up crash.

“I was with a new rear tyre and I just had the highside but anyway, is the past. Now it’s time to build again that confidence, to build again that process. Was really hard in Indonesia, but it was harder the next week after the incident but lucky for me I’m here. So is positive.”

Marquez has an almost unblemished winning streak at COTA. Just one DNF in 2019, which saw Suzuki’s Alex Rins take victory, stands against seven wins and seven pole positions - Ducati’s Pecco Bagnaia spoiling the party and breaking that run last time out. While the paddock can never count the Honda rider out at Austin, he is taking a calmer attitude on his return.

“It’s possible, of course it’s possible but is not the way to approach the weekend,” Marquez admitted. “We are coming from Indonesia GP where I struggled a lot, where I crash too many times and when I had a very big high side. I just start to train again in a normal way few days ago. So it’s not the approach of the weekend, win the race, is just try to build again the confidence and let’s see.

“Compared Qatar about physical condition I feel a bit better, because in Qatar I was struggling even more, but it’s true that in way of confidence, I feel much worse,” he continued. “This is something that is obvious after a not to good weekend, after another injury, especially when effect again the vision.

“That is something that makes me scared.

“I have the doctor check at one-thirty but of course if I’m here, you know. The vision just you see or you don’t see. You cannot make like this to see better. I already check a bike and was no problem. We will see during the weekend how is going.”

While some may comment that his return is too soon, for Marquez the time is right. Although the threat of yet another reoccurance will forever hang in the shadows.

“Is second vision problem in just six months,” the Honda rider confirmed. “But I asked to my doctor which is the percentage that maybe, because I had the injury in October and now again, ‘what happens if I stopped one year completely?’ And he say that in the end, the impact what I had, the impact was huge and I will have the same risk this weekend and I will have the same risk in one year or two years because in the end is a nerve. That when I had the impact is just moving a bit and then create me that [problem]. Is one of my weak points but just if I’m here, is for racing. I cannot think that ‘I cannot crash’ because I know that is that risk but it’s my passion and I’m here for racing, not to think about the injuries.

“Of course, last crash in Indonesia was a big one,” he explained. “During all the weekend we had a lot of problems about the rear [tyre] and we were putting a lot of weight on the rear. But then when we put a new tyre was pushing a lot the front and then for that reason in the qualifying practice I crashed with the front because was pushing a lot. Then for the warm up we did a small change just to try to understand but was the problem during all weekend and I crash in the worst point, and the one that I didn’t expect to crash.

“Lucky for me I’m here, because okay was injured the vision but all my body was okay. So even that I missed that race in Argentina, I feel lucky about that crash.

“The reason I think was different casing on the rear, that we didn’t adapt well or we didn’t change well the setup to that casing. Is true that in the preseason, we were very fast there and we were riding very good and we didn’t have any problem. But when on the GP had a different casing, then was completely different.”

While his sight and his physical fitness has returned after a rough couple of years, Marquez remains openly affected. He has stated multiple times his confidence needs to be rebuilt and his brother, LCR Honda’s Alex, commented that in the week following the Mandalika GP, it was the lowest he had ever seen him. There’s a cautiousness that you would previously not have associated with the eight-time champion.

“The approach for this weekend, I say before, the approach cannot be the victory,” Marquez reiterated. “Even because I don’t feel. Just I want to build again the confidence. Was really hard the week after Indonesia. Even I didn’t feel motivated to come here, to come in Argentina race and I prefer to stay calm. Now it’s just try to build again the confidence and if I don’t feel, don’t push. Because then arrive unexpected crash like in Indonesia.

“Is a mix of things,” he elaborated. “Is not only about the injury, is not only about the diplopia, is about again, you know, again I injure and again I will take time. Because when I start to feel that diplopia, was after the first flight. I start to feel something and then was difficult because the first thing is like ‘Okay again three months with the injury!’ And it’s something that makes you scared because also it’s really uncomfortable, even for a normal life but lucky when I had the doctor check I already feel like was less but he confirmed that was less.

“The first week was difficult but then the second week I start to improve a lot day by day. And then already I was sitting on the sofa watching Argentina race and my vision was quite normal but I prefer to stay at home.

“But if I’m here is because still the passion is more than what I suffer.

“Will try to continue my way, to improve and to fight for the title. Now I’m not in the point to fight for the title, I’m in the point to build again that confidence.

“I think in the end is normal,” he reflected. “Is the third, fourth, fifith injury in only two years and difficult injuries. Even two weeks ago I wasn’t motivated even to come here in Americas GP but then the people around me help. I was motivated to sitting on the sofa and just don’t take care about anything but then my brother helps me a lot and they just push me to go to the gym, to train again and then step by step you reveal again that motivation.

“Definitely I’m here for racing, not to speak about this, but is normal when you get injured. Is like when Jorge [Martin] I saw in Amazon Prime after his crash in Portimao, you think that ‘I don’t want to feel again this. I don’t want to take again the risk of this, of MotoGP and to get injured again.’ But this is the first week, then second week is our passion, is our fuel. Be here and racing. I’m born for that adrenaline!”