Gresini’s Marc Marquez says he is no longer two or three steps behind MotoGP title contenders Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin after showing strong pace in Friday practice for the Austrian GP.

On the short, 10-corner Spielberg circuit, Marquez drove his Ducati GP23 to a time of 1:28.858 minutes in the second practice session, putting him fourth, just 0.350 seconds behind pacesetter Bagnaia.

Even more impressively, he finished within half a tenth of a second of Pramac duo Franco Morbidelli and Martin, who were second and third at the end of the hour-long session.

This was a massive departure from his form in recent rounds, where he started on the defensive on Friday before gradually finding more pace to be competitive.

After finally managing to set the necessary pace right at the start of the race weekend following the British Grand Prix, Marquez believes that he has clearly closed the gap to the top group of MotoGP in Austria.

“I had a lot of problems with the race pace and made mistakes (in FP1) because we had a similar problem with the brakes as in Austin. But then the team took a step forward with the Austin experience in the afternoon and the feeling was much better,” he explained.

“They also gave me some tips on driving style so that I could attack and the race pace was a bit more consistent.

Marc Marquez, Gresini Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

“I felt good. The feeling with the bike was much better than in the last races.”

“In fact, I felt like we were two, even three steps behind the top riders in the last few races and in this race we are one step behind the top riders at the moment. So that’s a good sign.”

Despite having claimed four Grand Prix podiums so far in 2024, including three in a row between Jerez and Barcelona, ​​Marquez has never stood on the top step of the podium with Ducati.

Although he admits that this was one of his best Fridays to date, the six-time champion still feels that he is not in the same group as Bagnaia and Martin in Spielberg.

When asked if he thought he had a chance of winning the Austrian GP, ​​a race he never won during his time with Honda, the Spaniard said: “No. I would like to say yes, but unfortunately (not).”

“It is true that we are closer and I feel like I am one step behind Bagnaia and Martin, who are the top guys.

“Then we’ll be the second group with Morbidelli, Bastianini and me. Let’s see if I can work on the small details tomorrow and be a bit more consistent.”

Marc Marquez, Gresini Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

While Ducati generally performed well in Austria, with seven of its eight riders finishing in the top ten on Friday, Marquez also believes the tyres are playing a role in his improved form on the track.

Spielberg is one of three tracks where Michelin is introducing a different tire profile to provide relief to drivers who have not yet fully gotten to grips with the 2024 standard tires.

“For me, this tire feels more natural,” he said. “With the new rear tire they brought this year (for most of the season, but not in Spielberg), with the new technology, I don’t feel the transition from edge to traction in a natural way.”

“I feel like the grip changes a lot between one type of tyre and the other, it’s like having two different tyres.

“But with this one it’s much more natural and for me the movement of the bike is more predictable.”