MotoGP Aragon GP: Marc Marquez scores dominant sprint win, Marco Bezzecchi third

Ducati’s Marc Marquez continued his unbeaten record in sprints at the Aragon Grand Prix, dominating Saturday’s half-distance race from second on the grid.

While Marco Bezzecchi had appeared a stronger contender after topping both practice and qualifying, it was Marquez who shone when it counted, making a decisive move on his Aprilia rider at the start to claim the lead.

He eventually took the chequered flag by 1.1s, scoring his 20th career victory in a sprint race - the most of any rider in the championship. Gresini’s Alex Marquez finished second to complete a 1-2 for Ducati, while Bezzecchi eventually had to settle for third place.

At the start of the race, soft-shod Bezzecchi made the best launch of any rider on the front row, only to watch Marc Marquez, who started second, outbrake him into Turn 1. Alex Marquez also took full advantage of the situation, swooping around the Aprilia to snatch second position.

Bezzecchi tried to retaliate immediately but the two Ducati riders resisted his advances, leaving him in third place.

While the Italian managed to keep the pressure up on Alex Marquez for second over the next phase, race leader Marc Marquez began edging away at the front, extending his advantage to almost a second by the end of lap 5.

With Bezzecchi losing ground and Alex Marquez also failing to put up a fight, Marc Marquez went unchallenged in the second half of the race, with the 12 points he scored elevating him to third place in the championship.