– It was the scene of the MotoGP race at MotorLand Aragon. In the sixth lap, Marc Marquez (Ducati) attacked Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia) in the chicane at curve 14/15 and they shot side by side at well over 300 km/h along the almost one-kilometer-long straight towards the final curve.
Read more Penalty for George Russell threatens: Mercedes is looking for the right race
The two motorcycles almost touched side by side. “Yes, it was an incredible moment,” Marquez says about this scene. “I mean, a scary moment. It was a very strange moment even on the motorcycle.”
“With all this aerodynamics, there was a moment at 300 kilometers per hour when our motorcycles sucked each other in.” Both were also carried to the left side of the straight.
Bezzecchi was so far to the left that he touched the white line. Marquez was practically pulled to the left with him. “I tried to pull to the right side,” the Spaniard continues, “but my motorcycle was sucked towards him.”
“And I think his motorcycle was also sucked towards mine. If you watch the replay, there was even a small wheelie in sixth gear. It was impossible to separate myself from his motorcycle.”
“At a certain point, Marco gave up a little because he was on the dirty side. So it was a scary moment,” says Marc Marquez, “but a good show for the fans.”
Bezzecchi confirms that it also felt to him as if the two motorcycles were sucked together: “Yes, overall I agree with Marc. I mean, it was tough. I tried to cross the line in curve 15 when he overtook me.”
“I wanted to try to cross the line because I knew Marc would try to launch an attack at the chicane. I heard his motorcycle, so I knew he would try something there.”
“His motorcycle really accelerated well, mine too, so we were close together. It was a strange feeling because through the air,” Bezzecchi also refers to the aerodynamics, “I got close to him.”
“I wanted to keep distance, but several times I got closer, and then it went back and forth. I was a bit too far left, so I had to brake a little earlier.”
As a result, Marquez took the lead from Bezzecchi. The Italian also lost second place to Pedro Acosta in the braking phase for curve 16. The KTM rider used the slipstream and overtook the Aprilia on the outside under braking.
“They were on the left side, and I just tried,” Acosta describes the situation from his perspective. “I mean, I was a bit in the slipstream, and then I just pulled to the right.”
“In the end, I was in the right position. Even though I had to use the curb [outside] a bit, it was, I would say, a simple maneuver.” That put Acosta in the fight for the win.
Read more IndyCar Milwaukee 2026: Saturday race ends after Sunday race
Marquez then “cruises” to victory
Marquez took the lead for the first time in the race and was then able to break the pressure from Acosta. However, the KTM rider quickly realized that he probably would not be able to beat Marquez.
“I knew that Marc would still have something left at the end of the race because from behind he really looked relaxed. But I just tried to follow the rhythm and see where I end up.”
In laps 13, 14, 15, and 16, Marquez posted high 1:46 times and built a lead of 1.7 seconds over Acosta. That was the decision for the Grand Prix win.
“I tried, above all, to keep the risk, energy, and tire under control in the right-hand corners,” Marquez says about his tactic. “And yes, I just cruised along.”
“When there were ten laps left, I knew that the lap times were okay for the tire and for myself to attack. And that’s what I did: attacked a little in the right-hand corners and drove the 1:46.”
That Acosta would ultimately be his biggest opponent was clear to Marquez even before the race: “Especially my maneuvers in curves 2 and 3 [after the start] helped him overtake other riders because he is super clever and aggressive.”
“Even yesterday, he was the fastest in the last laps of the sprint race. And today in the warm-up, he was second with the used rear tire. So I knew Pedro was one of the candidates.”
Third place for Bezzecchi the maximum
Bezzecchi, who started from pole position, could only ride behind the two Spaniards for the rest of the race. Was third place the best possible result? “Yes, I think so,” answers the Aprilia rider.
“It was a tough race, a long race, super hot. From the beginning, even when I was leading, I saw that my pace was not as good as I expected. I tried my best to open a gap.”
“But I also knew that Marc would come back. Honestly, I wanted to make it a bit harder for him and also for Pedro, but I lost both places within a few seconds.”
“It was a wonderful weekend. Last year I started the race from last place. This year I got pole position and two podiums, so I am very satisfied.”
In the world championship standings, Marquez overtook Bezzecchi and is now second, 19 points behind Jorge Martin. Bezzecchi is 24 points behind his Aprilia teammate.
Read more Williams team principal Vowles: Return to the top becomes a «life mission»
