Marquez stays in hospital after infection post-surgery

Six-times MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez will stay in hospital to treat an infection discovered after a third operation on his right arm, his Repsol Honda team said in an update on Saturday.

The Spaniard fractured his humerus in the season-opening Spanish Grand Prix in Jerez in July, then had a second operation after damaging a plate in his arm while opening a window at home.

He underwent another eight hours of surgery on Thursday for a new plate and bone graft.

Honda said hospital doctors had deemed Marquez’s post-operative situation to be satisfactory.

"However, the cultures obtained during the pseudarthrosis surgery have confirmed that there was a previous infection in the fracture, which will see Marquez undergo specific antibiotic treatment in the coming weeks," the team added.

It said he will remain at the hospital in Madrid.

Honda have not said how long the Spaniard is likely to take to recover but media reports have suggested he could miss the start of next season in March.