MOTOR RACING: Alex Marquez to miss Italy and Hungary Grands Prix after horrific Catalan crash

Gresini Racing's Alex Marquez will miss the Italian and Hungarian MotoGP races after a horrific crash at the Catalan GP on Sunday, his team said on Thursday.

The 30-year-old Spaniard slammed into the back of Pedro Acosta's bike and careered towards a wall before cartwheeling through the air as he lost control on the gravel.

Marquez was rushed to hospital, where scans confirmed a marginal fracture in a vertebra near his neck, along with a fracture to his right collarbone. He underwent surgery on Sunday.

"Alex Marquez will miss the Mugello and Balaton Grands Prix," Gresini Racing said on social media platform X.

The Catalan race itself unfolded in extraordinary circumstances, with VR46 Racing's Fabio Di Giannantonio claiming victory after a chaotic contest that was red-flagged twice due to multiple crashes.

Marquez is seventh in the riders' championship after six rounds this season, having finished runner-up behind his older brother Marc Marquez last year.

The Italian Grand Prix is scheduled for May 29-31, followed by the Hungarian round from June 5-7.

-Reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare in Bengaluru;Editing by Toby Davis/Reuters