Marc Marquez Triumphs in Aragon Sprint, Ends 1042-Day Win Drought on Ducati Debut

Marc Marquez reflects on his inaugural Ducati win, breaking a nearly three-year streak without victories in Aragon

Marc Marquez concludes his almost three-year absence from the winner's podium with a victory in the Aragon Sprint, yet he emphasizes, "the most crucial day is tomorrow."

Securing just a Sprint victory, Marc Marquez made a triumphant comeback to the forefront of a MotoGP podium at Aragon on Saturday, marking his first win in 1042 days.

He has accomplished this feat for the 60th time as a MotoGP rider, yet it won't be recorded as an official win in the record books.

This marked his inaugural victory in the recently introduced Sprint format, which began at the onset of the previous season, and his initial triumph riding a Ducati.

"I'm extremely delighted," remarked the athlete who has clinched the world championship title eight times. "It's challenging to grin and fully savor the moment knowing that the crucial day awaits us tomorrow."

"My team reminded me, 'it's just a Sprint race, but it's also a further advancement in our development.' I'm pleased, particularly for everyone on my team."

Marquez has had a perfect weekend, leading every session and securing the pole position by an incredible margin of 0.8 seconds, a feat Francesco Bagnaia described as "unbelievable."

Despite some initial unease during the first lap due to the slippery and challenging conditions, Marquez managed to take the lead in the Sprint race and maintained it all the way to the finish line.

"In the opening lap, I erred at turn 1, experiencing a significant lock-up at the front, followed by a mishap with not properly disengaging the rear device, which affected my performance throughout the uphill section," he disclosed.

"I remained composed, yet encountered another error at turn 12. At that point, I thought, 'Alright, it's time to really get a grip on this track.' By the second lap, I began to improve my performance."

"The track's [unclean] state seems to make it challenging to warm up the tires at the start. However, once I discovered the right paths and regained the sensation I had during practice, I made sure not to 'overdo it'."

Marquez's victory marked the inaugural win for a GP23 competitor this year.

The Spanish rider has stated he doesn't feel the need to break his several-year losing streak in MotoGP, as he will have numerous chances being a factory Ducati rider in the upcoming season.

Despite everything, he enters Sunday's big race as the clear frontrunner.

"Tomorrow, the goal is to kick off strongly and maintain the lead right from the onset," he mentioned. "I understand and foresee that if there's an enhancement in the grip, Martin, and not to overlook Pecco, will definitely be on my tail."

"However, we'll make an effort to handle it all."

Marquez continues to hold the fourth position in the world championship standings, having narrowed the gap to just 13 points behind Enea Bastianini.

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