Marquez returns to the points in race of mixed fortunes for the Repsol Honda Team

A run of DNFs for Marc Marquez was finally brought to an end as he crossed the line for the Austrian Grand Prix in 12th.

Clear skies and a blazing sun continued to rule over the Red Bull Ring as Sunday’s action at the 4.32 kilometer-long track began. With just ten quick minutes of Warm Up to start the day, attention rapidly switched to the 28-lap Grand Prix. As the lights went out, the MotoGP grid was able to avoid any serious incident into and through Turn 1 as happened in the Sprint.

Marc Marquez was able to maintain his position throughout the opening lap and began to challenge those ahead for points. The only rider running the soft rear, Marquez was able to consistently gain ground on those in front and joined the battle for the top ten before too long. With just a few laps remaining, the #93 was sitting comfortably in 12th position – just behind Bastianini and Morbidelli as he maintained his calm and calculated approach. Holding the position until the end, Marquez ends both his and the Repsol Honda Team’s luckless streak of Sunday DNFs. The result is a culmination of a revised approach to the Grand Prix weekends for Marquez and the Repsol Honda Team.

The Repsol Honda Team will now head for Barcelona and the Gran Premi de Catalunya, the first of two back-to-back races. Marquez will be aiming to continue their improvements and put in a strong weekend for the home fans.

Marc Márquez, 12º: “The result of this Grand Prix was a culmination of the new approach we are taking as in Silverstone. We are trying to understand many things with the bike and avoid falling, finally we finished a race. At one point in the race my times were quite good, but I was the only one with the soft rear. It’s good to finish a race but obviously we are aiming for more and we need to keep on working. It’s been a busy weekend here in Austria and now we see what’s possible in Montmeló.”

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Marquez chases victory in Austria

Marc Marquez and the Honda RC213V showed their speed with an incredible race around the Red Bull Ring that was left ultimately unrewarded.

Eyes were again turned skyward as the grid formed up just before 14:00 Local Time, ominous grey clouds and occasional spots of rain making many nervous, but the Austrian Grand Prix was ultimately declared a dry race. Marc Marquez saw his chance and shot forward off the line, battling the fast-starting Ducatis into the first corner. After the opening corners the #93 settled into his rhythm, picking off Zarco and Martin and edging towards Bagnaia in the lead with Martin in tow.

The gap between the leading trio of Bagnaia, Quartararo and Marquez yo-yoed throughout much of the race but with seven laps to go, Marquez had his first taste of the lead. Then the rain came. In true Marc Marquez style, the eight-time World Champion attacked and opened a lead as the rain began to fall harder, until it reached a tipping point and he pulled into the pits with four laps remaining for his wet bike. Unfortunately, a fall at Turn One two laps later would end Marquez’s incredible victory challenge, rejoining the race to collect a single point for his incredible effort. Marquez rates this Sunday as his best of the season, able to battle for victory in the dry and make significant improvements over the previous weekend.

After two intense weeks in Austria, the championship will resume in Silverstone on August 27 for the British Grand Prix – the MotoGP World Championship returning there for the first time since 2019.

Marc Márquez, 15th: “In the situation we are in this year, I prefer to fight for victory or with the top riders in the dry than to even win a wet race or a flag-to-flag. So today I enjoyed the race a lot, I really felt competitive, and we were right there and able to fight. Pecco was riding really well, but I was with him and at the end I felt something special. Before the race it looked like the rain could help me, but finally it was the opposite! We made a big step this weekend but there’s still more we need to find. We struggled here last weekend, we understood why and we improved. I am happy about today’s race, it’s only one point but I really enjoyed getting it. This is my best Sunday of the year.”

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