Marquez’s Highs and Lows: Triumph to Tumble at the Austrian MotoGP Sprint

Marc Marquez encountered a critical error at the most inopportune time during the Austrian MotoGP Sprint

Up until his fall while pursuing the frontrunner in the Austrian MotoGP Sprint, Marc Marquez was experiencing "a steady weekend."

In the Austrian MotoGP Sprint, Marc Marquez seemed to be gaining on the front-runner as the race passed the midpoint. However, just as he began to close in on the lead, he suffered a crash.

Initially, Marquez got off to a strong start, securing the third position early on. However, he fell behind Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin in the initial laps. Yet, when Martin was penalized for skipping the 2a-2b chicane, Marquez, riding for Gresini Ducati, moved up to the second position.

He was 1.5 seconds behind Bagnaia, but by lap nine, he had cut that gap down by 0.3 seconds. Shortly thereafter, he went down at the third turn.

Marquez expressed to MotoGP.com, "It's hard to come to terms with, yet I'm pleased about this Saturday."

"The show of skill was evident. I recognize the error I made. In the parc ferme, following the qualifying round, I mentioned that I was slightly behind the leading competitors, and during the Sprint, I ended up taking excessive risks.

"I also believed I had a chance to overtake Pecco [Bagnaia] during the final laps since I was really comfortable on the bike."

Following the race, Bagnaia explained to MotoGP.com that he was adjusting the lead and altering engine settings to gain insights for Sunday's race, which accounted for his slower pace compared to Marquez.

Marquez mentioned that his crash occurred just as he was starting his offensive move.

"I was confident, and I was aware that the final laps of the Sprint would be where I excel because I perform better with a used tyre compared to a new one," he stated.

"That's the point where I attempt to take control of the situation, right from the start. Subsequently, when I launched my offensive, and actually was maintaining a solid speed, I ended up making an error on the third turn."

"I had a strong weekend going, but we made an error at the worst possible time."

Following his error, Marquez indicated his intention to adopt a new strategy in the upcoming Grand Prix.

"Throughout the entire weekend, it was apparent they had a slight edge over us," he remarked. "I attempted to close that gap today, but in doing so, I exposed myself to excessive risk. Therefore, my goal for tomorrow is to secure the third spot on the podium and successfully complete the race."

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