“One mistake” costs Alex Marquez potential Austrian MotoGP Sprint win

Coming into the MotoGP weekend in Austria, Alex Marquez downplayed his chances of success based on the circuit layout at the Red Bull Ring, but he led the opening half of the Sprint before “one mistake” cost him the lead.

Marquez led from the start, making the holeshot from second on the grid as his Ducati got a better launch than the Aprilia of Marco Bezzecchi on pole position, and than the wildly spinning Francesco Bagnaia on the other side of the front row in third.

The Gresini Racing rider led until lap nine before making a mistake at the chicane in the first sector that cost him the lead to Marc Marquez who went on to win his 12th Sprint from 13 this year.

“The best way to restart. I mean, the best way is to win the Sprint race,” Alex Marquez joked, speaking MotoGP.com after the Austrian Sprint.

“I tried just to make a good start, I was able to do that, I was able to push from the beginning, I had a great feeling with the new tyres, and I was able to feel good on the bike.

“That is the best thing that you can have on the weekend after the summer break.

“Later on, I just tried to keep my pace.

“I did just one mistake during all the Sprint and it was in corner 2b: I lost a little bit the front, I was a little bit more wide, I opened the gas in a little bit more sharp way, and then the bike started to move and I heard the bike from Marc [Marquez] on the right-hand side.

“I said ‘Okay, he’s here again!’”

Despite the frustration at leading more than half the 14-lap race and coming out second-best in the end, Marquez was pleased with his result.

“Honestly speaking, before the Sprint if you said to me ‘You will be second,’ I would sign because here it looks like for sure both the red Ducatis are faster than us,” he said.

“Also, we are really equal to Pedro [Acosta], to Bezzecchi, so really happy with this second.

“But the most important thing is [Sunday] so we will try again.”