His broken leg is mending fast, but Honda's Marc Marquez will still be starting his MotoGP title defense on the back foot in Qatar on Sunday.

The 21-year-old Spaniard, who in his rookie season became the youngest champion in motorcycling's top category, fractured the fibula in his right leg while dirt bike riding six weeks ago.

The injury meant he missed two of his team's three preseason tests in Malaysia and Australia, although the leg was not put in a cast.