Austrian GP: Marc Márquez Secures First Win at Red Bull Ring, Triumphs in MotoGP’s 1000th Race
Marc Márquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) finally claimed his long-awaited victory at the Red Bull Ring. This marked his sixth consecutive Grand Prix win, and notably, he became the winner of the 1000th MotoGP race. Although Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) led for much of the race and Fermín Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) mounted a fierce late charge, neither could stop Márquez’s momentum.
Close Battle Between Bagnaia and Márquez
Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), who had a poor start in the sprint race, got off to a strong start in Sunday’s main event. He battled pole-sitter Bezzecchi for the holeshot, but it was Bezzecchi who came out ahead in Turn 1. In Turn 3, Márquez aggressively tried to overtake his teammate Bagnaia from the inside, but Bagnaia held firm and defended his position.
However, on the following lap, Márquez managed to pass Bagnaia at Turn 3, moving up to second. Behind them, Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was pressuring Álex Márquez after a strong start, while Enea Bastianini (Red Bull KTM Tech3) overtook Acosta to move into fifth, only to make a mistake at Turn 1. Shortly after, Álex Márquez served a long lap penalty, dropping him down to 11th.
Márquez Closes In, Pursues Bezzecchi
In the middle stages of the race, Bezzecchi clocked the fastest lap on Lap 4 and maintained a 0.6-second lead over Márquez. In third, Bagnaia was busy fending off attacks from Acosta. By Lap 8, Márquez had closed the gap to just 0.2 seconds, right on Bezzecchi’s tail. The lead briefly stretched to 0.9 seconds again, prompting speculation about whether Márquez was conserving his tires or if Bezzecchi simply had the better pace. Meanwhile, Jorge Martín (Aprilia) crashed out at Turn 7 on Lap 14 and retired.
Márquez Takes the Lead, Aldeguer Mounts Late Charge
On Lap 18, Márquez once again closed in on Bezzecchi. Acosta made a daring braking move to overtake Bagnaia, with Aldeguer following to take over fourth. On the next lap, Márquez attacked at Turn 3 and took the lead at Turn 4. Bezzecchi countered at Turn 6, but on Lap 20 at Turn 1, Márquez firmly secured the top spot.
Then came Aldeguer’s charge. On Lap 22, he passed Acosta and put in a blistering 1:30.120 lap, closing the gap to the leaders. By the next lap, he overtook Bezzecchi for second.
With four laps to go, Aldeguer had narrowed the gap to Márquez to 0.9 seconds, and kept shaving off 0.2 seconds per lap. However, Márquez found his rhythm with two laps remaining, extending his lead back to 0.9 seconds. He maintained control through the final lap to take the checkered flag.
🏁 Race Winner: Marc Márquez
"I finally got a win in Austria. On Thursday I joked that maybe it’s because I’m riding the red bike this year — and the bike really was fantastic. The used-tire setup worked brilliantly. Marco Bezzecchi was very fast early on, so I waited for the second half of the race. I considered attacking earlier, but the risk was just too high. So I held back and made my move later. Aldeguer pushed hard at the end, but I’m happy to get my sixth consecutive win. We have another race next week, so I’ll stay focused. I’m also happy to dedicate this win to Pau Alsina."
🥈 2nd Place: Fermín Aldeguer
"I’m really happy. This track isn’t one of my favorites. Neither is Le Mans, and I’ve now reached the podium at both — that feels amazing. I knew I had great pace on used tires, and I’ll keep working hard. Thanks to everyone at Gresini and Ducati. I want to dedicate this race to Borja Gómez and Pau Alsina."
🥉 3rd Place: Marco Bezzecchi
"It was a very good weekend. We made a lot of improvements from Friday and managed to take pole position. I gave it my all in the race, but I had some issues at the end. The factory team did great work, and I want to thank Vale (Valentino Rossi) as well."
🏁 Final Race Results
| Position | Rider (Number) | Manufacturer | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Marc Márquez (93) | DUCATI | 42'11.006 |
| 2nd | Fermín Aldeguer (54) | DUCATI | 42'12.124 |
| 3rd | Marco Bezzecchi (72) | APRILIA | 42'14.432 |
| 4th | Pedro Acosta (37) | KTM | 42'17.870 |
| 5th | Enea Bastianini (23) | KTM | 42'19.737 |
| 6th | Joan Mir (36) | HONDA | 42'21.138 |
| 7th | Brad Binder (33) | KTM | 42'21.482 |
| 8th | Francesco Bagnaia (63) | DUCATI | 42'23.492 |
| 9th | Raúl Fernández (5) | APRILIA | 42'26.478 |
| 10th | Álex Márquez (73) | DUCATI | 42'26.543 |
| 11th | Franco Morbidelli (21) | DUCATI | 42'27.191 |
| 12th | Johann Zarco (5) | HONDA | 42'27.247 |
| 13th | Luca Marini (10) | HONDA | 42'29.484 |
| 14th | Ai Ogura (79) | APRILIA | 42'29.497 |
| 15th | Fabio Quartararo (20) | YAMAHA | 42'36.262 |
| 16th | Álex Rins (42) | YAMAHA | 42'41.322 |
| 17th | Miguel Oliveira (88) | YAMAHA | 42'45.014 |
| 18th | Jack Miller (43) | YAMAHA | 42'48.484 |