Jorge Martin recovered from an early setback to claim victory in Saturday’s Austrian Sprint at the Red Bull Ring, moving from eighth place after an opening-lap clash to take the win. Marc Márquez finished second for Ducati, while Marco Bezzecchi secured third for Aprilia Racing. Below, read the teams’ press releases from Saturday’s Sprint race at the Red Bull Ring.
More, from a press release issued by Aprilia Racing:
Victory and a podium for Aprilia Racing in Austrian GP sprint. Pole position and a comeback victory for Jorge Martin, Marco Bezzecchi third.
Saturday in Austria ended with both Aprilia Racing factory riders on the podium.
Jorge Martín began the day by taking pole position with a time of 1:27.917. This gave Aprilia four consecutive pole positions, for the first time in the Noale manufacturer’s history. The Spanish rider had a difficult opening lap, dropping to eighth before mounting a comeback to retake the lead and secure victory. This was Martín’s fourth sprint victory of the season, following his wins at Austin, Le Mans and Silverstone, and the 20th sprint victory of his career. It was also his seventh sprint podium of the season and the 37th sprint podium of his career.
Marco Bezzecchi started fourth on the grid and finished third in the sprint. This was the Italian rider’s sixth sprint podium of the season, following those at Le Mans, Balaton, Silverstone, Aragón and Misano, and the 16th sprint podium of his career.
Ai Ogura of the SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team finished fourth on his return from injury. The result saw Aprilia place three RS-GP26 machines in the top four.
Jorge Martín’s victory brings Aprilia’s tally of sprint wins this season to six, following those at Austin, Le Mans, Mugello, Assen and Silverstone, and takes the Noale manufacturer’s total to 13 sprint wins. The double podium for Martín and Bezzecchi also marks Aprilia Racing’s best result in a sprint in Austria.
Jorge Martin: “I’m very happy with my sprint and the pace I had. I enjoyed a good start, but when Marc passed me, I lost a lot of places. From then on, I tried to stay focused. I was really concentrating and overtook a rider almost every lap. My arm is fine. I struggled more with it today than yesterday, but that’s normal – it’s just fatigue. Just as my neck gets tired, for example, so does my arm.”
Marco Bezzecchi: “Overall, I’ve been fairly competitive over these two days, improving from Friday to today, although I was still slightly slower than the three fastest riders: Jorge, Pedro and Marc. Still, I’m happy with this sprint because I stayed right with Marc. I could never get close enough to make a move because I still need to find a little more, but staying with him, with the feeling I had, was still very positive.”
More, from a press release issued by Ducati Lenovo Team:
Marc Márquez and the Ducati Lenovo Team take second place in the Austrian Sprint. Francesco Bagnaia scores points in sixth.
The Ducati Lenovo Team completed the fifteenth Sprint of the season at the Austrian Ring. Marc Márquez took second place at the end of the 14-lap encounter, whilst Francesco Bagnaia was sixth at the flag.
Márquez retained second place at the start and briefly took the lead at the first chicane before being overtaken by Acosta. After dropping down to third at the start of lap eight, Marc found himself back in second place with three laps remaining and tried to re-enter the battle for the win until the end. Bagnaia, seventh on the grid after going through Q1, finished with an encouraging sixth place.
The Ducati Lenovo Team will be back in action tomorrow at 9:40 local time (GMT +2) for the warm-up, which will be followed by the 28-lap Grand Prix of Austria, to be contested from 14:00.
Marc Márquez (#93 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 2nd: “Today we achieved the main goal, which was to finish right behind Jorge (Martín) with no other rider in between. The first two laps were intense, then I simply kept my pace and scored the best possible result, as we are struggling a bit here. We need to keep working in order to improve in some specific areas of the track and, if we manage to do so, everything will become a whole lot simpler. Tomorrow’s race will be a long one and we’ll have to be careful with tyre wear.”
Francesco Bagnaia (#63 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 6th
“We’re doing a good job. Today we improved in the time attack, while in the Sprint we mainly worked towards tomorrow’s race by choosing the medium tyre, as we know how important it’ll be to manage tyre wear. I think it was the correct decision. It’s true that we struggled in the opening laps, but then the pace wasn’t so bad. The feeling has improved and now I hope we can make another step forward – with regards to grip and traction on corner exit – ahead of tomorrow.”
More, from a press release issued by Gresini Racing:
BK8 Gresini Team scores points in the Austrian Sprint.
- SPRINT
ALEX MARQUEZ 5º
FERMIN ALDEGUER 8º
- WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
ALEX MARQUEZ 8º (158)
FERMIN ALDEGUER 10º (107)
- TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
BK8 GRESINI RACING 6º (274)
Alex Marquez: “This morning I made a mistake while changing gear and crashed. We managed to save qualifying with a second-row start, but clearly the crash didn’t help. Regardless of that, we are struggling to find the right direction, and fifth position (sixth without Pedro’s crash) is currently the target we can achieve. We will try something in the warm-up to make a step forward and try to stay with the Aprilias, although it is currently difficult to do so on this track.”
Fermin Aldeguer: “Qualifying, as is often the case, made the weekend more complicated for us. I felt good in practice, but in the session that really counts, we didn’t perform as well as we would have liked. Starting that far back makes things difficult, and the Sprint went pretty much as I expected. We managed to score a few points and made a decent step forward. Tomorrow, with the medium tyre, we can do something better.”
More, from a press release issued by Honda HRC Castrol:
Marini works for Sunday in Spielberg as Nakagami’s progress steps up.
Luca Marini’s Saturday in Austria was all about Sunday gains after a difficult Q1 while Takaaki Nakagami showed his experience and speed, battling through to 15th and ahead of several big names.
Saturday in Austria had the Honda HRC Castrol team hard at work, looking to make the most of every opportunity presented to them after a truncated morning practice due to overnight rain. Q1 marked the first obstacle of the day with both Luca Marini and Takaaki Nakagami tackling the 15-minute session on a still-green circuit.
Able to set a best time of 1’29.110 and manage 15th on the grid, Luca Marini faced an uphill battle on the run up the hill to Turn 1 in the Sprint. With this in mind, the Italian and his team decided to focus on better understanding what will be possible during Sunday’s Grand Prix and opted for the medium tyre. A classically strong start from Marini helped him gain early ground before he switched to a more defensive mode. Taking 13th at the line, the Italian has certainly gained information for the feature length race and has some key decisions to make overnight. Marini is confident that Sunday’s race could introduce an even more unpredictable GP.
One of the few riders to venture out in the damp morning, Takaaki Nakagami’s progress continued with each and every lap as he closed the distance and went deeper into the field. A best lap of 1’29.442 in Q1 put him 18th on the grid and just 0.3s behind Luca Marini on the other side of the garage. When the lights went out for the 14-lap Sprint, Nakagami immediately locked into an intense fight with Morbidelli and a trio of Yamaha riders before breaking away and trying to close in on Pol Espargaro in the battle of the Development Riders. 15th in the Sprint bodes well for some welcome points in Sunday’s main event.
Luca Marini: “Today was all about testing for tomorrow, I went with the medium rear in the Sprint to understand how it behaves before the long race. It was not easy with the medium and I think a lot of guys who used the soft in the Sprint will have some surprises. Q1 was tricky today and I couldn’t get the same feeling as in practice, it felt like there was less grip overall and I wasn’t able to improve my time in the second half of the lap. But let’s see what we can do on Sunday with this extra information as our pattern this year is always making a step for the long race and as we saw today, this track is very critical and you need to be riding in a perfect way.”
Takaaki Nakagami: “Some positives feelings today in Qualifying and the Sprint, still there’s a lot to improve but step by step progress is being made. Session by session, I am working better with the team and they’re helping me a lot to compare to the other Honda riders. We did a lot of laps during the test before here so my physical condition isn’t perfect and when you need to push to your maximum like in Qualifying or a race, this is when you feel it. Sunday will be a long 28 laps, a lot of tyre management to do. I am enjoying being the factory team and I want to thank them all for their effort.”
More, from a press release issued by Monster Energy Yamaha:
Steady Sprint for Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP in Styria.
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Fabio Quartararo and Álex Rins pushed all the way to the finish line in the Grand Prix of Austria Sprint at the Spielberg track today. Quartararo turned a solid Saturday into a 12th-place result, while Rins made progress from the back of the grid to take 18th position.
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Fabio Quartararo and Álex Rins took on the Sprint at Spielberg on the Grand Prix of Austria Saturday. Quartararo pressed on in the midfield throughout the 14-lap dash and crossed the line in 12th place, while Rins steadily rode from 20th on the grid to 18th position at the chequered flag.
Quartararo started the Sprint from ninth place but found himself in 12th after a busy opening lap. The Frenchman settled into the position and maintained a consistent pace throughout much of the race. With three laps remaining, Pedro Acosta’s crash briefly promoted Quartararo to 11th. However, Enea Bastianini, who had been closing in on the number 20 during the latter stages, found a way past on the same lap. Quartararo continued to push until the finish and crossed the line in 12th place, 13.050s from the winner.
Rins lined up in 20th on the grid and dropped behind the Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP riders at the start before overtaking Jack Miller to complete the opening lap in 21st. The Spaniard began making progress on lap 5 when he passed Franco Morbidelli. Further gains followed as Diogo Moreira and Raúl Fernández were handed double long-lap penalties, moving Rins up to 18th by lap 8. Another position came his way when Acosta crashed out, but Moreira found his way past on the same lap. On the final lap, Rins continued to close the gap to Toprak Razgatlıoğlu but came just 0.090s short at the finish line, taking 18th place and ending the Sprint 21.054s from first.
After today’s Sprint, Quartararo remains 15th in the championship standings with 61 points, while Rins stays 20th with 24 points. Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP are 10th in the team classification with 85 points, and Yamaha hold 5th place in the constructor standings with 84 points.
Tomorrow, the teammates will be back in action for Warm Up, held from 09:40-09:50 (GMT+2), and the 28-lap Race, which starts at 14:00.
Fabio Quartararo: “Qualifying was good and the Sprint was good too. I knew a top 10 would be difficult today, so I think P12 was the position we deserved. I am feeling well on the bike, but in the Sprint and Race, with people in front of you, it’s more difficult to make the lap times. Tomorrow the race will be difficult, especially for the tyres. We know that for the Race we will try something different.”
Alex Rins: “This is a tough track for us. Today in the Sprint, I was struggling quite a bit. I had [Takaaki] Nakagami in front of me. I was recovering quite a lot on braking, but every time he was able to pull away by some metres again.”
More, from a press release issued by Prima Pramac Yamaha:
Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP continues to work through a challenging Austrian Saturday.
Jack Miller and Toprak Razgatlıoğlu completed a demanding Saturday at the Red Bull Ring, with Miller continuing to search for the right balance after setup changes and Razgatlıoğlu showing clear progress throughout the day and in the Sprint.
Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP experienced another challenging day at the Red Bull Ring, with the team continuing to work through the setup and balance of the YZR-M1. For Jack Miller, the changes introduced overnight did not produce the expected improvement in overall bike behaviour. As often happens when making significant setup changes, the new direction also created compromises in other areas, leaving the Australian searching for a more consistent balance during both qualifying and the Sprint. He eventually finished the Sprint in 20th position.
Toprak Razgatlıoğlu, meanwhile, continued the positive progression already seen during the weekend. After a difficult Friday, the Turkish rider made another clear step forward on Saturday, with his Sprint pace bringing him closer to the group fighting around the Top 10. He ultimately crossed the finish line in 17th, although the final result did not fully reflect the progress shown in terms of pace and feeling throughout the day.
The next step for Toprak will be to carry more of that progress into the opening stages of the weekend, allowing him to start from a stronger position and make better use of the pace he is able to find later on. With the Austrian Grand Prix continuing tomorrow, both riders and the team will now focus on making the most of the information gathered today and finding further improvements for the final race.
Toprak Razgatlioglu: “Today was better than qualifying and the feeling with the bike was much better. The beginning of the race was okay, although I lost some rhythm after fighting with another rider in the opening laps. After that I was able to find my pace, but it was very difficult to overtake because we lose a lot on the straights.
Towards the end, the rear tyre dropped quite a lot and I lost some time, but overall the pace was not so bad. We also learned more about the tyre and tomorrow we will try the medium, which normally gives me a better feeling.
The main problem is still qualifying. Yesterday I did a 1:29.6, but today with the new tyre I could only do a 1:30.0, and I still don‘t understand why I cannot extract the same performance in qualifying. Then I have to start from the back again, which makes the race much more difficult.
Tomorrow is a long race and anything can happen. I will try my best as always and hopefully we can make another step.”
Jack Miller: “Not much to say. The bike itself was behaving better today and it was definitely an improvement compared with yesterday. From a setup point of view, I felt much better on the bike and I could brake late and do what I needed to do. It wasn‘t an enjoyable race, to be honest, and we need to understand why we have been struggling with this since Friday. We‘re going to have to make some significant changes tonight and try to find a way to improve the acceleration for tomorrow. We know there is more potential in the bike. I‘m not extracting everything from it at the moment either, and I need to keep building my confidence back, but the main priority now is to find a solution with the electronics and give ourselves a better chance in the race.”
More, from a press release issued by Pro Honda LCR:
Pro Honda LCR rider Diogo Moreira finished 16th in Saturday’s Sprint in Austria.
- After a challenging qualifying session, Moreira lined up 16th on the grid for the Sprint.
- Determined to fight his way forward, Moreira made a jump start at the beginning of the race, as he felt the wait for the lights had been unusually long.
- The Brazilian was handed a double Long Lap penalty and eventually crossed the finish line in 16th. Despite the setback, Moreira took positives from the race, feeling comfortable on the bike and noticing improvements in its performance.
More, from a press release issued by Red Bull KTM Tech3:
Bastianini gains six places in Austrian sprint.
Enea Bastianini quickly put a disappointing Qualifying at the Austrian Grand Prix behind him to rise from 17th to 11th in Saturday’s Sprint, while Pol Espargaró came home in 14th.
- Qualifying
After a heavy morning shower at the Red Bull Ring, the track surface had soon dried sufficiently for slick tyres to be used in FP2 and Qualifying.
Although fast over longer runs on Friday, Bastianini couldn’t get comfortable with Michelin’s soft rear tyre in Q1. As he struggled in Sectors three and four, the 28-year-old posted the seventh fastest time, which put him 17th overall. Espargaró fared better in Q1, finishing fourth and just 0.2s off Johann Zarco’s fastest time for 14th on the grid.
- Sprint
Conditions were close to perfect around the 4.35km layout ahead of the 14-lap Sprint race. Although he started in the middle of the sixth row, Bastianini was still confident of his speed over a longer run. The Italian felt his way into the 14-lap shootout, holding 17th on lap one before launching a series of attacks.
Sitting 15th on lap three, ‘La Bestia’ continued his forward trajectory and late passes on Luca Marini and Fabio Quartararo, plus a crash for another rider, lifted him to 11th place.
Espargaró chose Michelin’s medium rear tyre in a bid to gather more information for Sunday’s race. The Spaniard lost two positions on the first lap and was soon caught up in a tough fight with Toprak Razgatlioglu. Once clear of the Turk, he focused on catching Marini ahead but ran out of time to complete the overtake and finished 14th.
The main event is still to come for Red Bull KTM Tech3 with Warm Up kicking off Sunday’s action at 9:40 (UTC+2) before the 28-lap race, which starts at 14:00 (UTC+2).
More, from a press release issued by Castrol Honda LCR:
Castrol Honda LCR rider Johann Zarco crossed the finish line in 7th place in Saturday’s Sprint in Austria.
- Zarco made a strong start from 10th on the grid after progressing to Q2 in the morning qualifying session.
- When it mattered, the Frenchman kept his composure, avoiding mistakes while battling with his rivals and maintaining a strong pace.
- He eventually crossed the finish line in 7th, securing valuable points and feeling comfortable on the bike.
More, from a press release issued by VR46 Team:
The Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team secures the tenth place in the Sprint with Fabio Di Giannantonio at Spielberg. Franco Morbidelli crashes.
Saturday of the Austrian GP proved to be more challenging than expected for the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team, which ended a sunny Sprint at Spielberg in tenth place with Fabio Di Giannantonio. It was a tough race for Franco Morbidelli, who crashed with four laps to go, luckily without physical consequences.
Di Giannantonio started from the third row thanks to his eighth place in Qualifying, his best result ever on the Styrian track (1’28”612). In the Sprint, a complicated start prevented Fabio to gain positions, remaining in the group fighting for the Top19. The rider from Rome was very determined, and he crossed the finish line in tenth place. Di Giannantonio keeps the fourth position in the World Standing with 223 points.
It was a tough Saturday for Morbidelli, who was nineteenth in Qualifying (1’29”554). Franco started from the seventh row and struggled to show his potential right from the first laps. A crash at lap 11 when he was in nineteenth place prevented him to bounce back. Morbidelli is now sixteenth in the World Standing with 56 points.
The Austrian GP will conclude tomorrow with the main race, which will start at 2:00 p.m. (local time).
Fabio Di Giannantonio: “Until the qualifying, the weekend was not bad, but I had low grip at the rear and I struggle more in the Sprint. I made a couple of mistakes in the first laps, I went wide and I lost positions, this affected me a bit. But we want to stay positive and focused because we are adapting to this track more and more. Now, we work to understand how we can improve even more for tomorrow’s race.”
Franco Morbidelli: “Today in the Sprint I crashed at Turn 2, maybe I arrived to the corner a little faster than usual and I lost the front. Luckily, I’m ok. Anyway, the race was not going very well, I had already made a mistake at Turn 9 and I went wide. I was trying to recover, but then I crashed. We still have tomorrow to bounce back. We must remain confident and determined to solve the issues that have been affecting us this weekend.”
