Sachsenring: Marquez Shrugs Off Crash to Set Fastest Time, Bagnaia Stuck in Q1

• Marc Marquez sets a time of 1:19.394 in the afternoon practice at the Sachsenring, 0.166 seconds ahead of Raul Fernandez.
• In the morning session Raul Fernandez led on the Trackhouse Aprilia, while Marquez crashed at Turn 3 and finished second.
• Francesco Bagnaia lands in 13th place and has to take the detour through Q1.

This weekend at the Sachsenring marks the last MotoGP race before the summer break. Marc Marquez arrives in Hohenstein-Ernstthal with a special record, having already won the German Grand Prix nine times. Friday still showed that the competition is close behind. After an early crash in the morning, Marquez turned things around in the afternoon and took over the top of the timesheet. At the same time, there was a prominent loser: Ducati factory rider Francesco Bagnaia could not get past 13th place.

Who was fastest at the Sachsenring on Friday?

Marc Marquez was fastest on Friday. In the decisive afternoon practice he set the best time of 1:19.394, 0.166 seconds ahead of Raul Fernandez on the Trackhouse Aprilia. Fabio Di Giannantonio on the VR46 Ducati was third. That put the two Italian manufacturers, Ducati and Aprilia, at the top, as they traded the lead several times throughout the session.

What happened in the first practice in the morning?

In the first practice, Raul Fernandez was initially in front. The Trackhouse rider switched to fresh tyres for the closing stage and set the best time of 1:20.829. Marc Marquez followed just 0.051 seconds behind, even though his morning got off to a rocky start. Already on one of his first laps he slid off the front at low speed into the gravel at Turn 3. Marquez was unhurt, and his Ducati suffered only minor damage. He then returned on a spare bike, worked his way forward, and even briefly topped the timesheet with 1:20.880. In the end he was left on used tyres and was narrowly caught by Fernandez.

Behind them came Fabio Di Giannantonio, Honda rider Joan Mir and Jack Miller on the Pramac Yamaha. For context: Di Giannantonio holds the Sachsenring lap record from last year, when the pole time stood at 1:19.071.

Why does Francesco Bagnaia have to go through Q1?

Francesco Bagnaia has to go through Q1 because he only placed 13th in the afternoon practice. Only the ten fastest riders from that session advance directly to the decisive qualifying segment, Q2. Everyone else must first take the detour through Q1 and qualify there for the front grid positions. For the Ducati factory rider, this is already the fourth time this season he has missed the direct jump to Q2. He had barely made an impression in the morning either, finishing 19th.

How did the decisive afternoon practice unfold?

The afternoon practice stayed open for a long time and was only decided in the closing minutes. Marco Bezzecchi on the Aprilia initially set the pace with 1:20.605, then improved to 1:20.535 on a soft rear tyre. Di Giannantonio then took the lead with 1:20.104. Marc Marquez countered with 1:19.841, a time Jack Miller matched shortly after, briefly moving up to second place. Di Giannantonio responded with 1:19.674, but Marquez had the final word: with around three minutes left, he set the best time of 1:19.394. A yellow flag after a crash by Enea Bastianini prevented other riders from attacking again in the closing stages.

Behind the top three, Alex Marquez on the Gresini Ducati and Jack Miller completed the top five. Behind them followed an Aprilia trio of Ai Ogura, Marco Bezzecchi and Jorge Martin. For championship leader Jorge Martin, eighth place meant he narrowly secured a direct spot in Q2. Pedro Acosta was ninth, the only KTM rider in the top ten. Franco Morbidelli rounded out the top ten, though he may face a penalty. He is accused of riding too slowly on the racing line at Turn 6 and impeding Acosta. Race direction has opened an investigation.

Which riders crashed on Friday?

Several riders crashed on Friday, all of them unhurt. The first crash of the weekend was caused by Marc Marquez in the morning at Turn 3. Shortly after, Maverick Vinales went down at the fast Turn 11: his Tech3 KTM tumbled repeatedly through the gravel and was badly damaged, though the Spaniard escaped without injury. Franco Morbidelli also slid off at Turn 3 towards the end of the first practice, after hitting the same bump that had already brought down Marquez. In the afternoon, Enea Bastianini then crashed at Turn 8 on his final fast lap.

How did Yamaha perform at the Sachsenring?

Yamaha ran up front on Friday. In the first practice, Jack Miller on the Pramac Yamaha finished fifth, with his brand-mate Alex Rins seventh. In the afternoon, Miller confirmed that form, again finishing fifth, securing a direct spot in Q2. That’s a signal for the Japanese manufacturer, whose last Grand Prix win came four years ago — with Fabio Quartararo, at this very Sachsenring. Quartararo himself ended the first practice in 15th.

The championship standings ahead of the German Grand Prix

Ahead of the German Grand Prix, Jorge Martin leads the riders’ championship with 193 points. Behind him are his Aprilia teammate Marco Bezzecchi with 186 points and Fabio Di Giannantonio with 177 points. In the manufacturers’ championship, Aprilia leads with 379 points, followed by Trackhouse with 306 and the Ducati Lenovo Team with 283. The race at the Sachsenring is the last stop before the summer break and thus an important step in the ongoing title fight. Conditions were good on Friday: under an almost cloudless sky, temperatures in the afternoon reached 24 degrees in the air and 43 degrees on the asphalt.

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