Marc Márquez Clinches Long-Awaited First Victory at the Austrian GP | MotoGP 2025
Marc Márquez finally celebrated his long-awaited first win at the Austrian Grand Prix. Showing strong pace throughout the weekend, he executed a calculated and mature race strategy amid intense battles, fending off fierce rivals like Marco Bezzecchi and Fermín Aldeguer with precision.
Márquez secured the victory by a margin of 0.8 seconds, having strategically studied Aldeguer’s standout performance in Sector 3 and skillfully integrated those insights into his own riding style. The next round heads to Hungary for the inaugural Hungarian Grand Prix.
Joy of a First-Time Victory
“I’m really happy — this is my first win here. I said earlier this weekend that riding the red bike, I couldn’t afford to miss this chance. We had great pace all weekend. Marco Bezzecchi was incredibly fast in the early stages, and Fermín came on strong in the latter half.”
Strategy and Racecraft
“I planned to lead from the start, but I ended up in a battle with Pecco. After that, I aimed to close in on Marco and take the lead. It’s tough to ride closely behind someone on this track — you can’t brake where you want, and the rear tire wears out quickly. I didn’t like that situation, so I backed off slightly to cool the front tire. When I saw Marco start to snake a bit, that’s when I launched my attack.”
Late-Race Pressure from Aldeguer
“Every time I looked back, someone was within a second of me. After I passed Marco, I saw Aldeguer closing in. He’s one of the best at managing tires among the Ducati riders, so I knew I had to push hard at the end. I was watching to see if he’d catch me, but I managed to win by 0.8 seconds.”
Relationship with Fermín Aldeguer and Intra-Team Knowledge Sharing
“Fermín and I have a good relationship. He, Álex (Márquez), and I share a lot of knowledge. He's currently in a fantastic team, and I think he's having an excellent season. Even if he becomes a stronger rival, that won’t change our relationship.”
Current MotoGP Landscape and Manufacturers' Momentum
“In the first half of the season, it wasn’t unusual to see the top six bikes all be Ducatis. But lately, Ducati hasn’t always dominated the results. Japanese manufacturers are improving too, especially with concessions. Still, Ducati wants to remain at the top. Aprilia’s bike has a different concept, with its own strengths and weaknesses, but they’re evolving. Even on difficult tracks, finishing on the podium shows how well Marco is riding.”
Evolution of Electronics and Ducati’s Edge
“When I first came to MotoGP, Honda’s electronics were more advanced than what we have now — back then, we had open software, and it was incredibly smooth. Now, all riders use the same unified software with identical parameters. While both Honda and Ducati use the same software, Ducati has a better handle on it, which makes riding smoother. But electronics aren't meant to make you faster — they’re meant to help you ride safer and more consistently. If you're relying on electronics to go fast, it means you’re not riding well.”
Risk, Race Instincts, and Winning Mentality
“In every race and every weekend, I try to gain an edge. I don’t even know if I still have all my race tricks left. But making those kinds of moves always involves risk. No rider fully understands everything the others have in their playbook. Sometimes, that last-lap adrenaline creates magic.”
Learning from Sector 3 and Tire Management
“This weekend, the only rider faster than me in Sector 3's left-handers was Fermín. So I analyzed his data. His cornering speed is especially high — and with this weekend’s tire casing, that style was essential. In these stop-and-go conditions, the rear was constantly moving, and getting grip on corner exit was tricky. With this rear casing, higher corner speed helped conserve the tire and reduced the need to push it. I copied his style in the two corners of Sector 3 — but elsewhere, I used my own. Especially in the right-handers, his style was incredible, but I couldn’t quite replicate it.”