Grand Prix on Sunday is always high-drama and this Saturday,s Austrian GP qualifying session was a surprise. Marco Bezzecchi finished first in the qualifying, finding a pole position as Aprilia, while Marc M teez lost a pole position in the final session and failed to qualify to the first row. With its punishing track design and split-second time differences, the Red Bull Ring proved to be the subject of thrills, shocks and changing narratives once again leading to race day.
Bezzecchi-magnificent. Already through Q1, the Italian was at best guaranteed a spot in the final shoot-em-up. However, in Q2, he was composed and aggressive and took his Aprilia to the maximum. The time on his last flying lap was 1:28.060; Álex M topped him by a microscopic 0.016 seconds. The margin showed how competitive MotoGP it is this season with the smallest error being all the difference between pole position and the second row. This was the first pole that Aprilia had in almost two years and was a moment of redemption as also of revival of a team which had struggled hard to keep up pace with Ducati.
Marc Marquez on the other side past of the paddock, characterised The Day by angst. Lapping competitively with most of the opening qualifying sessions, the Spanish driver seemed to be going well to secure another front grid start. However, when there was still less than three minutes of his session, the latter collapsed. Beat out of the Turn 2 chicane by aggression, Marquez who lost the front end crashed which was to send shudders through the Ducati garage. Wow!! This immediately spectacularly derailed without much more regeneration as he got back on his bicycle and resumed the session. Mardy Migne could not perform a lap quicker than his previous so MM ended the session in the fourth place which is disappointing considering his chances to win the championship. No one was injured and the crash was reminder of what everyone already knew, MotoGP is a razor blade between excellence and failure.
And so the first row goes to Bezzecchi, Alexander Marquez and the current champion Francesco Bagnaia. They will pose different problems to be solved in the race on Sunday. Bezzecchi will enter the pressure of needing to defend his pole on a bike that has not always had the straight line speed of Ducati machines. Having Marc Márquez right behind them, the race is set to be a close competition of talent, tactic, and nerves.
The accomplishment of Bezzecchi cannot be stressed. Taking pole position after Q1 is an uncommon occurrence in the MotoGP and taking it during a circuit with a high power-demand, such as the Red Bull Ring is simply wonderful. It is both a sign of his self-belief and competence as well as the advances made by Aprilia in the outfit and race package of their bikes. With the season so far in large part being dominated by Ducati, this pole announces new uncertainty and indicates that Aprilia still can play a larger role in the championship scene.
To Marc Marquez, however, the crash is a reminder of how aggressive his approach has been and of the small margin of error at this level. Fourth is of course no disaster, but it leaves him plenty to do should he care to pursue victory. The prospect of setting off behind the likes of Bagnaia and the rest of the riders is so fast may make it difficult to plot his race strategy, especially because the track does not offer many opportunities when it comes to overtaking. There is hardly any doubt, however, that Márquez can stage a comeback. His perseverance and racecraft are inimitable and despite starting in the second row, he is among the first position contestants.
It has made a perfect fireworks position on the Austrian GP grid now. Bezzecchi, the pole-sitter with the odds against him, is the least experienced of the three winners, etc. Marquez brothers sharing the first two rows are ready to serve a long fight and Bagnaia continues to be that trusty danger nearby. Combine that with the unpredictable weather and stern corners of the Red Bull Ring and Sunday should be one of the highlights of the season.
The pole of Bezzecchi is the sign that MotoGP can be unpredictable, where talent and opportunity have the chance to meet and result in amazing outcomes. Time will tell whether he is able to transfer this to victory, no doubt however, the Austrian Grand Prix will have a showdown of the same calibre as its setting.
Follow us on Zeroto30s social channels:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zeroto30s/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zeroto30s
Twitter: https://twitter.com/zeroto30s
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Zeroto30s