Marc Márquez knows he has a golden opportunity and is no longer hiding. The eight-time world champion is closer than ever to his first victory with Ducati after having made a perfect start at the Aragon GP and a pole position overwhelming, leaving second-placed rookie Pedro Acosta more than eight tenths behind on the Motorland circuit. This is the Catalan’s second preferred position with the Italian factory after his exciting debut in Jerez, where he subsequently had a nice battle with Pecco Bagnaia and achieved his first podium with the Bologna manufacturer after leaving Honda. In Alcañiz, the 93 has won six times and has already achieved eight first places on the grid in his career.
Marc led both Friday sessions, something he had not achieved since 2021 in Texas, on one of his talisman circuits. He also led the free practice session on Saturday in tricky conditions after a night storm that left patches of water on the new asphalt of the track. When he started the weekend, he did so crouching, signing a second place like the one he achieved in another beautiful duel with Bagnaia in 2021, in what was the Italian’s first victory in the premier class. After flying on a perfect Friday, he changed his mindset and acknowledged that it was time to go for it, for a victory with Ducati that he is not obsessed with but that he does yearn for, of course.
“I’m not worried or obsessed with winning again, when you’ve already passed 1,000 days you don’t even feel it,” he said before starting to ride on Thursday. “I feel like it could happen here, but I don’t think about it too much,” he added. For someone who has won 85 victories in all world categories, 84 races without winning – counting the Saturday sprints introduced last year – it is about putting an end to the worst streak of his life. “The euphoria comes from within, because it’s only one pole and you have to stay focused. It’s important, because it’s been a long time since I got the time in the dry. I’m feeling good on this circuit,” he said in the parc fermé this Saturday. Since Japan 2019, Marc had not managed to dominate a timed session without rain. This afternoon’s sprint (3:00 p.m., DAZN), will be the first opportunity to get rid of the thorn.
Bagnaia and Jorge Martín recognised on Friday that Márquez had something more than them, especially in the second and final sector of a circuit with the characteristic left-hand curves that the Catalan likes so much. The Italian went from less to better and recognised that he studied the data of his future teammate to the millimetre, although it only helped him to finish third, eight tenths of a second behind the fastest of the weekend. “It’s a long time, Marc is in another world,” said the Turin native, a Ducati reference. The Madrid contender, on the other hand, went from more to less and lost some confidence with a fall at the start of qualifying, although he was later able to recover in time with a fourth place that immediately puts him in the wake of his great rival for the title.
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