Jorge Martin bounced back from his Misano disappointment by snatching pole position at the Red Bull Ring for the Austrian MotoGP. The Aprilia star, tied at the top of the standings with Marc Marquez after fading from the lead with arm pump last Sunday, beat the reigning champion by 0.015s in Saturday morning’s qualifying shootout.
Only fifth on Friday, Martin made a “big step” to overcome Marquez and KTM’s Pedro Acosta, but expects an “intense” fight in this afternoon’s Sprint. “I was trying my best!” Martin said. “I was behind Marc, and even if I was fast, I couldn't ride in my way, let's say. I couldn't brake strong. So I decided to go alone. I pushed like crazy - everything was under control, but for sure on the limit. So I'm really, really happy. It seems like we did a big step from yesterday. I was fast in [final practice], fast now in qualifying, which was one of my weakest points, so I'm feeling prepared for the race. For sure, Pedro and Marc look great also, so it will be an intense race.”
Reigning champion and defending Red Bull Ring winner Marc Marquez celebrated his second place almost like a victory. “Because yesterday I was struggling a lot on the time attack,” Marquez explained. “So today we improved, but even like this, with the feeling from yesterday, I knew that it would be difficult to be on the front row. And we are here. So, I’m happy. We know that things change a lot between a new tyre and used tyre here. So the Sprint race will be one thing, but then especially the main race will be another, and starting in the front row is always important.”
Friday pace-setter Pedro Acosta also had plenty to smile about after claiming his first front row since Balaton Park, boosting his hopes of giving KTM a home victory on his final Austrian appearance for the factory. “Super happy. Normally we struggle a lot in qualifying, and being front row in a home GP is quite nice,” Acosta said. “All the team is working super hard. Let's see what is going on in the Sprint race, but normally we start more in the back. For this let's see what we can do from here.”
The 14-lap Red Bull Ring Sprint starts at 3pm local time (2pm UK).
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