Marquez Hunts First Spielberg Win

Spielberg, Austria | Marc Marquez returned from MotoGP’s mid-season break showing no signs of slowing down, setting the pace in Friday’s practice sessions at the Red Bull Ring.

The six-time MotoGP champion, who has already racked up five straight victories this season, is chasing more than just another win. Marquez has never triumphed in Austria, a rare blank spot in his decorated career.

“I’ve been super close here many years,” Marquez said. “I always lose against the red bikes—but now I’m on the red bike, so let’s see if we can finally do it.”

Now riding for Ducati’s factory team, Marquez has looked nearly untouchable, completing five consecutive weekends with both sprint and race wins. He leads the championship by a commanding 120 points over his younger brother Alex Marquez, who races with Ducati’s Gresini satellite outfit.

Alex sits second in the standings, holding a 48-point cushion over Francesco Bagnaia, last year’s champion and a specialist in Austria with three consecutive wins at Spielberg. But the younger Marquez faces an uphill task this Sunday after being handed a long-lap penalty for his collision with Honda’s Joan Mir in Brno.

“The challenge will be to do a perfect weekend and lose the least time on the long lap,” Alex admitted. “We need to qualify well and try to make up ground before the penalty.”

Friday’s action confirmed Marc’s dominance, topping the morning session by three-tenths of a second over Bagnaia, and edging KTM’s Pedro Acosta by two-tenths in the afternoon. Qualifying takes place Saturday, followed by a 14-lap sprint. The main 28-lap race happens Sunday.

Meanwhile, Honda LCR’s Somkiat Chantra will sit out both Austria and Hungary. The Thai rider underwent surgery for ligament damage in his right knee, an injury sustained during training after the Dutch round. He has already missed races in Germany and Brno.