Honda confirm that Marc Marquez won't return until 2021

As Marc Marquez continues to work on recovering from the injured arm that has kept him out for almost all of the 2020 MotoGP season, Repsol Honda have confirmed that the Spaniard will not return until next season.

The reigning world champions had to retire after an accident in the first race of the season at Jerez and hasn't been able to return since.

"As his recovery continues, Marc Marquez and the Repsol Honda Team confirm he will not participate in the remainder of the 2020 MotoGP season and aims to return to racing in 2021," a team statement said.

"Working through his recovery programme and tracking the progress of his arm, Marc Marquez in conjunction with Honda, his team and multiple expert doctors, has elected to officially delay his return to action until 2021."

The rider had his say on the matter too, as he'll watch the 2020 campaign come to its conclusion from the sidelines.

"This season I will not compete again," he said in a message to his fans.

"After evaluating how the arm is doing with the doctors and my team, we have decided that the best option is to return next year. It's time to continue with the recovery. Thanks for the messages of . Looking forward to returning in 2021."

This means that his brother Alex Marquez and Stefan Bradl will be the two riders for the final two races of the year in Valencia and Portugal.

"Stefan Bradl will complete the 2020 season for the Repsol Honda Team," the team's statement added.

"With back-to-back point finishes, Bradl has hit a strong vein of form and, like Alex, showed well during the course of last weekend, especially in the wet."

When Marc Marquez returns in 2021, he'll be aiming to win back his world championship. Joan Mir is currently on course to win this year's title, as he holds a 37-point lead over Fabio Quartararo with two races to go.