Márc Márquez is on par to break more records at the German GP, claiming his tenth Tissot Sprint win in MotoGP. It was the first time that we didn’t see his brother, Álex Márquez, join him on the podium. Instead, Marco Bezzecchi placed second, and Fabio Quartararo earned third place and his second Sprint podium.
The race was delayed by ten minutes after a red flag in Moto3 Qualifying pushed all afternoon sessions back. Not to mention, the track was still inundated with water from the heavy rain that had fallen in the morning. But many other key moments added to the MotoGP drama.
Riders Out For The Rest of the Weekend
While it was already confirmed that Enea Bastianini would not be participating this weekend, another KTM rider was added to the list after the Qualifying 2 session this morning. Maverick Viñales went to a local hospital after a nasty highside resulted in a heavy fall and a dislocated left shoulder. He had to withdraw from the Tissot Sprint and Sunday’s race.
Too Hot On the First Turn
M. Márquez got a dream start off the line, but bungled it all up in the first turn. The #93 went extremely wide, going from first to fifth. Johann Zarco also had a shocking first sector, dropping from second to tenth. Bezzecchi, Franco Morbidelli, and Quartararo were the beneficiaries of the front-row mistakes. Morbidelli didn’t last too long before coming off at high speed in Turn 8. Both the rider and the bike spun out of control; the Italian looked very hurt and needed to get a check-up at the medical centre immediately.
Finding Pace Halfway Through the Sprint
Pedro Acosta rode off into the gravel trap of Turn 8, pushing back to twelfth. Meanwhile, Quartararo was coming under attack from M. Marquez, the Spaniard almost losing it in Turn 2. The battle for tenth was heated between Acosta, Francesco Bagnaia, and Miguel Oliveira. Fermín Aldeguer was only a second in front of the three riders, dangling a point for them to win back. M. Márquez, having passed Quartararo, had Bezzecchi in his sights, closing the gap in each turn.
All or Nothing in the Final Lap
The two front-runners were side-by-side coming down the main straight and through the first sector. M. Marquez clinched the first spot, as Bezzecchi faded behind. That was enough encouragement for Ducati Lenovo rider to make a break for it and cross the line victorious.
The Top Nine
The Sachsenring circuit has thrown riders and fans through twists and turns that no one saw coming. With double the laps to manage tyre grip and race pace, tomorrow’s race is anyone’s to win at this point. But one who does not want to give up the chance of being MotoGP German Grand Prix winner once again is M. Marquez. Could he make it another double podium weekend?