Marc Marquez dominated once again in the Aragon Grand Prix Sprint. The reigning world champion claimed victory in Saturday’s short race following an unquestionable performance, built right at the first braking zone thanks to a pass on polesitter Marco Bezzecchi.
After missing out on pole position—for the first time at this track since joining Ducati—Marquez made full amends over the 11 laps of the afternoon race. Immediately taking the lead after sweeping past Bezzecchi’s Aprilia at the start, number 93 led the race from start to finish, securing a Saturday victory that had eluded him since the German Grand Prix. It is a crucial win that allows him to close the gap in the general standings to 33 points behind Jorge Martin and move up to third in the championship.
Behind him, Alex Marquez completed a clean sweep for the Bologna manufacturer by securing second place aboard the Gresini Ducati, leaving Bezzecchi to settle for the third step of the podium. Meanwhile, Jorge Martin finished a distant fifth, seeing his championship lead reduced to 29 points over his brand teammate Bezzecchi.
The race dynamics were also heavily influenced by high track temperatures, which prompted riders to split their tyre strategies: the Aprilias of Bezzecchi and Martin gambled on the soft rear option, whereas the Marquez brothers chose the medium compound.
At lights out, Bezzecchi got off the line well, arriving first at the braking zone for Turn 1. However, Marc Marquez launched a decisive inside attack at the first corner with an aggressive block-pass—a move that ultimately opened the door for Alex Marquez to take second place as well.
The top three quickly pulled away from the rest of the field, but Marc Marquez proved untouchable. By the start of the fourth lap, his lead had grown to seven-tenths, before he took the chequered flag with a 1.140-second margin over his younger brother. For the Cervera native, this marks his 20th Sprint victory, consolidating his status as the most successful rider in the Saturday format introduced in 2023.
Bezzecchi was unable to capitalise on the soft tyre choice, crossing the finish line nearly a second behind Alex Marquez.
On lap five, Pedro Acosta snatched fourth place from Martin, taking advantage of a wide line by the Spanish Aprilia rider at the final corner. Martin was unable to respond, dropping 3.5 seconds behind the young Spaniard’s KTM by the end of the race.
Fermin Aldeguer (Gresini Ducati) staged a strong recovery to finish sixth in his first race back since suffering an injury at the Dutch GP in June. The Spaniard finished ahead of Diogo Moreira (LCR Honda), Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse Aprilia) in eighth, and a heroic Johann Zarco, who placed ninth on the sister LCR Honda on his own return from injury.
It was an afternoon to forget for Pecco Bagnaia, who finished outside the points in 11th place, while Fabio Di Giannantonio’s title hopes took a severe blow following a crash on the second lap, leaving the Italian 46 points behind Martin.
Among the retirements were Luca Marini, who slid off with his Honda on the opening lap, and Fabio Quartararo, who was forced to retire on lap five due to a mechanical failure on his Yamaha along the back straight.