Márquez fourth in Spielberg Friday Practice as Bagnaia finishes 18th and faces Q1
Marc Márquez ended Friday Practice fourth at the Grand Prix of Austria's Spielberg circuit, while Ducati Lenovo team-mate Francesco Bagnaia was 18th and must go through Q1.
- 4th
- 18th
- around two tenths of a second
- 14 laps
What Happened
The Ducati Lenovo Team closed out the opening day of the Grand Prix of Austria, the fifteenth event of the season, at Spielberg. Marc Márquez took fourth place in Practice, the same position he held in the morning session, finishing around two tenths of a second off the fastest time of the day. He stayed consistently inside the top ten and moved up to second with twelve minutes remaining before improving again in the final time attack. Francesco Bagnaia ended the day 18th, having shown a step forward at the beginning of the afternoon session but unable to bounce back in the closing stages. Fermín Aldeguer was second on the Ducati of Gresini Racing MotoGP.
- 4th
- 18th
- around two tenths of a second
“Today we worked hard and well. The feeling in FP1 wasn't the best, while we improved with each outing during Practice and I believe we have now found the direction to follow. Tomorrow we'll surely have to make another step forward. The bike behaviour at this track is very different and we need to find a way to make it work at its best, especially with the rear-tyre casing we have available here in Austria. We'll keep working with the goal of doing well both in qualifying and in the Sprint.”
“We tried to lap as much as we could and did a lot of work. Unfortunately, we couldn't get the performance out, but we'll keep giving our best effort in order to turn things around. The main point to work on is trying to find grip. All in all, it didn't go that badly despite the final position, as lap times are usually extremely close at this track. This is the situation and – in some ways – my potential at the moment, but we'll try to do our best.”
- 10:10 — Free Practice 2
- 10:50 — Q1
- 11:15 — Q2
- 15:00 — the fifteenth Sprint of the season, contested over 14 laps
Previously from Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A.
Ducati's return to the Austrian Red Bull Ring for round 15 comes with Marc Márquez leading the championship and with Ducati having won at least once every season at the circuit for the past 10 years. Márquez arrived off a win at Misano on 13 September — the 27-lap Grand Prix of San Marino and the Rimini Riviera — which put him on 274 points and gave him the riders' championship lead, while Bagnaia crashed out. The previous Friday followed a similar pattern to this one: at Misano, Márquez ended Friday practice second and Bagnaia was 19th and had to go through Q1.
- Ducati Lenovo Team heads to the Red Bull Ring for MotoGP round 15 with Márquez leading the championship
- Márquez wins Misano MotoGP to take championship lead as Bagnaia crashes out
- Marc Márquez second in Misano Friday practice as Ducati teammate Bagnaia finishes nineteenth
Background drawn from MotorClaw's earlier coverage of Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A.'s official releases.
Why this matters
Friday's times decide who goes straight into Q2 and who must fight through Q1, so Márquez starts the weekend ahead of his team-mate Bagnaia, who is 18th. With the Grand Prix of Austria the fifteenth event of the season, the day shapes how Ducati Lenovo's riders line up for Saturday's Sprint.
Terms in This Story
- Q1
- The first phase of qualifying, which riders who did not secure an automatic place must contest for a slot in Q2 and on the starting grid.
- Sprint
- A shorter, points-scoring race held on the Saturday of a Grand Prix weekend, separate from the main race.
- time attack
- A final run in a session in which a rider pushes for their fastest single lap time.
- FP1
- The first free practice session of a Grand Prix weekend, used by riders to set up their bikes.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.