Marc Márquez Takes Ninth Win of the Season at Austrian MotoGP

The Ducati rider extended the championship lead after a thrilling battle at Red Bull Ring and now 142 points clear of his brother Alex Marquez in the standings. 

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Spanish rider Marc Marquez chalked up his ninth win of the season at the Austrian MotoGP at the Red Bull Ring today to stretch his lead at the head of the championship standings.

The Ducati rider, who started fourth on the grid, swept past pole-sitter Marco Bezzecchi on Lap 20, and pulled away for victory. Rookie Fermin Aldeguer closed on him in the final laps but had to settle for second, the best result of his fledgling career, with Bezzecchi completing the podium.

Marquez’s victory in the 1000th MotoGP race completed a perfect weekend for the Spaniard who, after a poor qualifying that saw him slide off the track, also won his 12th sprint of the season yesterday.

Márquez got off to a good start and moved up to second place on lap two, before beginning his chase of race leader Bezzecchi. He then overtook his rival after a hard-fought battle on lap twenty. In the final stages, Marc defended the lead with great determination from the resurging Aldeguer.

Bagnaia had an excellent start and held third position for two-thirds of the encounter. After running wide following an overtaking manoeuvre by Acosta, Pecco gradually lost ground and ultimately crossed the finish line in eighth place.

Marc Márquez said in a statement: “I was obviously eager to win here. When on Thursday I got asked what the goal at this track was, I said that, with the red bike, it was the win, as this is the bike against which I had lost many times before at this track.”

“I knew that Marco (Bezzecchi) and Pecco would be my main opponents over the long distance as Alex had to serve a long-lap penalty, from which it’s hard to bounce back. We had already noticed that, among all Ducati riders, Fermín (Aldeguer) was the one who could manage tyre wear the best, so when I saw his name on the pit board I knew I had to start pushing again, and we finished with a good pace. I’m happy, we’re doing some great work and now Balaton awaits us,” he added. 

Remarkably for a man who has already won six world titles, this was the first time that he had ever won at Spielberg.

After 13 rounds of the 22-race season, Márquez increased his tally to 418 points, extending his lead to 142 over Alex Márquez. Francesco Bagnaia is third, 197 points behind his teammate. The Ducati Lenovo Team continues to lead the teams’ standings (639 points), with Ducati also maintaining the top spot in the manufacturers’ standings (467 points).

The MotoGP action will be back in just five days’ time at Balaton Park, for MotoGP’s first-ever appearance at the Hungarian track.