Marc Márquez takes record 20th Sprint win at Aragón; Bagnaia finishes 11th
Marc Márquez led from turn one to win the Aragón Sprint aboard his Ducati, becoming MotoGP's all-time leader in Sprint victories with his 20th, while teammate Francesco Bagnaia struggled to 11th.
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What Happened
Marc Márquez was uncatchable aboard his Desmosedici GP as he won the 11-lap Aragón Sprint for the Ducati Lenovo Team, overtaking Bezzecchi at turn one and controlling the race to the chequered flag. Francesco Bagnaia finished 11th after dropping positions mid-race, while Alex Márquez took second on the Gresini Racing MotoGP Ducati. The victory makes Márquez undefeated in Aragón Sprint races since the format began, with three wins from three, all aboard a Ducati. It also gives him a record 20th Sprint win, moving him to third in the standings.
20
Most in MotoGP history; moves Márquez to third in the standings.
Márquez started from the middle of the front row and seized the lead with a brave move at turn one after seeing rival Marco Bezzecchi choose the soft tyre. He then pulled away and held the pace lap after lap. Bagnaia, who started eighth, kept his position at the start but lost a few places in the middle of the race and crossed the line 11th.
“As soon as I saw Marco putting on the soft tyre, I understood that the only viable strategy was to attack at turn one. The medium option needs a bit more time to get up to temperature, and that would have allowed him to pull away in the early laps. We had no other choice but to use the medium tyre, which still works well and is very consistent. My start wasn't the best as the bike was wheeling a bit, but I still gave it a shot and it worked. Then I more or less kept the same pace as in Practice, while tomorrow's race will be hotter and the track may get a bit more slippery.”
“Today things went better compared to yesterday. This morning, we managed to improve some areas on the bike and qualifying wasn't bad. I was surely expecting a bit more, but for the first time this weekend I was able to actually have some feeling with the bike. We simply need to keep working. The pace in the morning wasn't bad and surely better than the one I had in the Sprint. We need to understand – ahead of tomorrow's race – the reason why things changed, because this afternoon I struggled with traction.”
The team will return to the track tomorrow morning at 9:40 local time (GMT+2) for the warm-up. The Grand Prix of Aragón follows at 14:00 and will run over 23 laps. Márquez expects hotter conditions and a potentially more slippery track for the race, while Bagnaia aims to resolve the traction issues that slowed him in the Sprint.
Previously from Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A.
Márquez had been third in Friday practice at Aragón, just 0.038 seconds off the pace, while Bagnaia was 13th and sent to Q1. The team came to the round looking to rebound after a difficult Silverstone weekend, on a track where Ducati's Desmosedici GP has won five times.
- Márquez third in Aragon Practice as Bagnaia ends 13th and faces Q1
- Ducati Lenovo Team heads to Aragon aiming to close gap after tough Silverstone MotoGP round
Background drawn from MotorClaw's earlier coverage of Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A.'s official releases.
Why this matters
Sprint races award points toward the MotoGP championship, so Márquez's victory — his record 20th in the format — lifts him to third in the standings and extends his perfect Saturday record at Aragón. Bagnaia's 11th place leaves the Ducati Lenovo Team with work to do for Sunday's 23-lap Grand Prix.
Terms in This Story
- Sprint
- A short race held on Saturday in MotoGP, awarding points toward the championship.
- Grid
- The starting positions of riders on the track.
- Desmosedici GP
- Ducati's racing motorcycle used in MotoGP.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.