MotoGP: Marc Marquez beats his brother Alex and Pedro Acosta to win Spielberg MotoGP Sprint

Marc Márquez took his first win at Red Bull Ring, beating his brother Alex Márquez and KTM factory rider Pedro Acosta in the 14-lap race. F1Technical's senior writer Balazs Szabo reports on the MotoGP Spielberg Sprint.

On the back of a disappointing performance on the opening day at the Austrian Grand Prix, Aprilia rider Marco Bezzecchi took pole position on Saturday morning.

However, the Italian got a average start off the line, and dropped to third behind the Márquez brothers, with Pedro Acosta finishing the opening lap in P4. Meanwhile, Francesco Bagnaia suffered from rear-wheel spinning at the start, which cost him several positions, with the Italian having dropped to P14.

While the two-time MotoGP champion tried to move up the field, he clearly suffered from technical issues, and he was forced to retire midway through the race.

On Lap 2, Acosta passed Bezzecchi at the entry of the chicane to move up the order to P3. In the meantime, the opening few laps had indicated that Alex Marquez looked to have the upper hand over his brother, with half a second having separated them.

Having overtaking Bezzecchi, Acosta was eager to deliver a sensational result on KTM's home track, but he made a small mistake at Turn 4, losing touch to the Márquez brothers.

The six-time world champion appeared patient behind his brother, but when Alex made a slight mistake at the exit of the chicane, Márquez capitalized on the great run out of Turn 2B and made a move stick at Turn 3 with five laps to go.

Marc Márquez did not make any mistakes in the remainder of the 14-lap Spielberg Sprint, and ultimately crossed the finish line with a 1.2-second margin to Alex. Pedro Acosta completed the sprint podium, while pole-sitter Bezzecchi came home fourth.

Brad Binder handed KTM a double Sprint top five on home turf, with Fermin Aldeguer salvaging a solid P6 after his messy start. Enea Bastianini finished seventh, ahead of Fabio Di Giannantonio, whilst Johann Zarco collected the final points on offer.

Commenting on his Spielberg Sprint victory, Márquez said: “Obviously the crash in the second time attack during qualifying was a mistake, and it could have affected the outcome of the race as here – unlike how it may look – it is not easy to overtake.

"I tried to pass Alex in the early stages but he was very strong, so I prepared the attack for the final five laps and then managed the lead," the Spaniard continued.

"We’re having an incredible season and our performance, especially on Saturday, is fantastic. Let’s see how it goes tomorrow, but my only goal is the ultimate one – the championship win.”