The Spielberg Sprint goes to Marc Márquez and the Ducati Lenovo Team. Francesco Bagnaia’s performance draws to an early end

• After twelve Grands Prix completed and the Austrian Sprint, Marc already has one more point than his total from the whole 2024 season
• Alex Márquez is second with the Desmosedici GP machine of the Gresini Racing Team, making it a Ducati one-two

Marc Márquez and the Ducati Lenovo Team have triumphed in the thirteenth Sprint of the season at the Austrian circuit of Spielberg. Francesco Bagnaia’s encounter came to an early close with six laps left.

Márquez got off to a perfect start from fourth position and entered turn one in second place. After tailing his brother Alex, he overtook him with five laps to go and ultimately crossed the finish line with a 1.2-second margin. Bagnaia suffered from rear-wheel spinning at the start, which cost him several positions. Pecco, who was clearly having a difficult time on track, then returned to the pits midway through the race.

The Ducati Lenovo Team will be back in action tomorrow morning at 9:30 local time (GMT +2) for the warm up, with the Grand Prix of Austria set to begin at 14:00 over a 28-lap distance.

Marc Márquez (#93 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 1st
“Obviously the crash in the second time attack during qualifying was a mistake, and it could have affected the outcome of the race as here – unlike how it may look – it is not easy to overtake. I tried to pass Alex in the early stages but he was very strong, so I prepared the attack for the final five laps and then managed the lead. We’re having an incredible season and our performance, especially on Saturday, is fantastic. Let’s see how it goes tomorrow, but my only goal is the ultimate one – the championship win.”

Francesco Bagnaia (#63 Ducati Lenovo Team) – DNF
“What we know at the moment is the final result: I didn’t finish the race. We need to wait for the feedback from the engineers based on the few laps I was able to complete. I don’t exactly know what happened; I experienced a lot of instability, especially at the rear-end, which is something I had noticed already during the warm up lap. When we have more information, we’ll be in a position to know if adjustments are needed ahead of the race. It’s a pity because, despite the bad start, I had in theory the pace to get back in the points, but unfortunately it wasn’t possible today.”