Marc Marquez labelled 'Houdini' after record-breaking pole

The Repsol Honda star, a five-time world champion and leader of the 2019 standings, claimed his 59th career pole on Saturday and third in a row, his latest effort sealing the outright record in the premier class.

Marquez moved clear of Mick Doohan, whose total of 58 he had matched last week, with a stunning lap of 1:23.027, which was 0.434seconds clear of Fabio Quartararo in second.

"From my eyes, Marc's got a trick everywhere," LCR Honda's Crutchlow, who qualified ninth in Spielberg, told reporters per Motorsport. "He's like f*****g Houdini. He just vanishes in thin air - you see him one minute and he's gone the next.

"It's not like he has a trick in one sector, I think he has a trick in all the sectors. He's riding amazing, it's as simple as that."

Briton Crutchlow feels it is hard for riders to explain the brilliance of the rival they are trying to catch in Marquez.

He added: "Even as a rider, you can't give this guy enough credit. What he's doing, with the bike that he has, is something very, very special.

"It's clear he has an advantage over everyone else - but why, I have no idea. If I could go as fast as him, I would.

"What he's doing different is nearly every corner, every braking, every acceleration. The laptime I did in qualifying, he did about 15 of them this morning [in FP3].

"But he's not just making me look average - if you put most of the other guys on my bike, they're not going to be as fast as I am. Everyone's trying their best, trying to match him - especially me because I'm on the same manufacturer - but at the moment it's not possible."

Mañana salimos desde la Pole Position!Tomorrow we start from the Pole Position!#AustrianGP pic.twitter.com/nnEzPmxPBD

— Marc Márquez (@marcmarquez93) August 10, 2019

The Red Bull Ring is the only circuit where Marquez is yet to register a MotoGP win, Ducati having won in each of the last three years. It is a stat the in-form Spaniard is desperate to end on Sunday.

Marquez said: "When I saw the gap, I was surprised because I expected that everybody would be a little bit faster or closer.

"The track was very slippery in FP4 and qualifying. When it is slippery it is one of my strong points. I am able to stop the bike by sliding with both wheels and then I can brake later than the others sometimes.

"It was a really good lap but I was looking for the 1:22! But I did a mistake in the last sector and I went too wide in turn 10. Apart from that we had a great rhythm. It was a great day, everything and everyone in the team was working so well.