Did Marquez Finally Break the Red Bull Ring Curse?

Spielberg, Aug 17 (NationPress) Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) has finally ended his winless streak at the Red Bull Ring, securing maximum points for the sixth consecutive time in the intense MotoGP title race. The journey to victory at the BWIN Grand Prix of Austria was far from straightforward, as Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing), who finished third, led for significant portions of the race. Rookie sensation Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP), the silver medalist, also put pressure on Marquez during the closing laps. Yet, neither could halt the #93 from making history by winning MotoGP's 1000th race.

After a shaky start in the Sprint, Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) aimed for the holeshot but it was Bezzecchi who maintained P1. On the opening lap, Marquez made a daring move on Pecco at Turn 3, but Bagnaia held onto P2 into Turn 4.

On the next lap, Marquez executed a successful maneuver at Turn 3 to ascend to P2, while Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) challenged Alex Marquez. Enea Bastianini (Red Bull KTM Tech3) then overtook Acosta, but Alex Marquez incurred a Long Lap penalty, dropping him to P11.

At the front, Bezzecchi clocked the fastest lap on Lap 4, maintaining a 0.6s gap from Marquez, while Pecco defended P3 from Acosta. By Lap 8, the gap narrowed to 0.2s. However, Marquez later dropped to 0.9s behind Bezzecchi, raising questions about whether he was cooling his tires or if Bezzecchi was showcasing better pace. Jorge Martin, Bezzecchi's teammate, saw his race end due to a crash at Turn 7 on Lap 14.

On Lap 18 of 28, Marquez closed the gap again to 0.2s. In a fierce battle for P3, Acosta executed an aggressive overtake on Pecco, costing the Italian two positions to Aldeguer.

The fight for the lead escalated as Marquez took the inside line at Turn 3, momentarily leading before Bezzecchi regained it at Turn 6. Marquez then retook the lead at Turn 1 on Lap 20. Aldeguer, showing impressive speed, was closing in rapidly, with a time of 1:30.120 on Lap 22—over half a second faster than the leaders.

With four laps left, Aldeguer was only 0.9s behind Marquez after passing Bezzecchi. As the laps counted down, Marquez managed to extend his lead to 0.9s with two laps remaining, ultimately crossing the finish line without mistakes to claim victory in MotoGP's historic 1000th race. This victory marks Marquez's seventh title inching closer as he continues to dominate with double wins over the last six Grands Prix. Aldeguer's late push was commendable, while Bezzecchi celebrated back-to-back podiums for the first time since 2023.

Acosta led the KTM charge in P4, followed by Bastianini in P5. Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol) finished P6, while Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) took P7. Bagnaia ended up disappointed in P8. Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) managed to secure P9, while Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) finished P11, just ahead of Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR) and Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), who rounded out the points in a tough race for Yamaha.