Marco Bezzecchi says he is recovering well from his Sachsenring injuries, but admitted that fluid build-up in his knee could leave him ‘suffering’ at MotoGP's Aragon Grand Prix.
The factory Aprilia rider broke his collarbone and injured his knee in a nasty highside at the German Grand Prix almost two months ago, dealing a severe blow to his title hopes.
While the summer break allowed him to undergo operation without missing additional races, with another two weeks after his Silverstone comeback giving his injuries further time to heal, he is yet to make a full recovery heading into this weekend’s race at MotorLand Aragon.
The British GP weekend showed he could still be competitive while nursing an injury, as he battled through pain to achieve a double podium and climb back to second place in the championship.
But with Aragon expected to suit Aprilia’s rival Ducati, which has six bikes on the grid, Bezzecchi faces a much sterner challenge this time around.
Asked for an update on his condition on Thursday, the Italian said: “Obviously, Silverstone was good, but it was also super tough. And after the race weekend, I was struggling especially with my knee.
“It's true that the shoulder is... I can't complain too much. I'm recovering quite well. It's obviously not like I want, but at the moment it's the maximum that I can have.
“But with my left knee, I'm still struggling a lot. Unfortunately, this injury takes a lot of time to get better, and riding on it is not the best painkiller.
“Obviously, Marc [Marquez] is going to be super-fast, but every Ducati rider [will be fast], So, I will try to survive and try to bring at home the maximum that I can.”
Aragon kicks off the busiest stretch of the season, with the remaining 10 races scheduled over a span of just 14 weekends.
That leaves Bezzecchi with little time to recover at home during the races, especially during the flyaway races in Asia-Pacific.
The 10-time grand prix winner admitted that his left knee, which was badly injured in the crash and required separate surgery, will continue to cause problems for him in the coming races.
“Well, it's going to be tough,” he said. “The shoulder is recovering in the right way, I think. It's clear that at the end it's a collarbone, so it's not a super big injury, but the fracture was super big, so at the end the surgery was a bit longer compared to the previous time I broke my bones.
“But the problem is more about my left knee, which is taking more time. It's creating liquid inside, so it becomes difficult to bend the leg and push on the foot peg.
“I'm doing everything I can to try to recover as quickly as I can, but I will have to suffer. But in the end, it's like this, so I'll just try my best.”
