Things have been heating up on and off the grid lately in MotoGP. This makes it the perfect time for the LIQUI MOLY Grand Prix of Germany before riders cool off over the summer break.
What Happened Last Year
In 2025 at the Sachsenring, it was a big weekend for Ducati with both Marc Márquez and Álex Márquez completing their 200th and 100th Grand Prix respectively. However, it was the older of the Márquez brothers who finished on top, securing their 69th race win with a seven and a half second lead. M.Márquez’s Ducati Lenovo teammate, Francesco Bagnaia, placed third.
However, not every rider made it to the checkered flag. Drama bookended the German GP, with three incidents early on and several more after Lap 18. That left a grand total of eight rider DNFs, including Marco Bezzecchi, Ai Ogura, and Fabio Di Giannantonio. All 10 remaining riders gained points, marking the smallest number of finishers in a Grand Prix since the Australian GP in 2011.
But the drama had already begun earlier with the intermediate classes. In Moto2, seven riders had major crashes, with David Alonso running up the back of Diogo Moreira after the Brazilian rejoined the circuit unsafely. Shortly after Marcos Ramírez cleaned up Albert Arenas, resulting in a red-flagged race. Deniz Öncü won as the race came to a close, relegating Barry Baltus and Jake Dixon to second and third with a lingering thought of what could have been had they had those five laps still remaining.
The action had all kicked off first, though, with Moto3. Seven riders in this class also did not complete the German GP, with many falling to the pressure of the Sachsenring and taking some of the pack with them. Scott Ogden was moments away from what would have been the British rider’s first Moto3 win. Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be, and the battle between David Muñoz, Máximo Quiles, and José Antonio Rueda intensified. But it was Muñoz who won out, dedicating the win to his late friend Borja Gómez.
Sachsenring Circuit
Since the 1920s, the town of Chemnitz, Germany, has hosted numerous four-wheel and two-wheel motorsport events, with many taking place on closed public roads right up until 1990. As the popularity of the area and the sport grew, so did the need to create a dedicated circuit that could accommodate everyone. Thus, Sachsenring came into fruition in 1996, built a little west of Chemnitz.
The 3.67-kilometre circuit hosted its first MotoGP event in 1998 and has undergone many improvements since then. With multiple tight corners out of the 13, it is arguably one of the slower circuits on the calendar. However, it creates a string of opportunities for dramatic overtakes and action-packed racing.
It’s of no surprise to anyone that M.Márquez holds the most wins at the Sachsenring—nine in total—beating only Giacomo Agostini and Mike Hailwood from the previous eras of the sport. Last year, the all-time lap record was broken by Di Giannantonio with a lap of 1:19.071. However, Bagnaia holds the top-speed record, clocking 306.8km/h. And once again for 2025, there was a record number of attendees over the weekend at the German GP. A cumulative crowd of 256,411 fans graced the Sachsenring over the weekend. Will any of these records be broken once again in 2026?
One More Race Before the Summer Break
With a three-week summer break on the horizon, the German GP is the last chance to gain some much-needed ground and points before everyone resets and regroups. Not to mention the continuous unveiling of 2027 rider announcements. Cal Crutchlow will fill in for Johann Zarco once more while the French rider recovers. However, there will be no replacement for Fermín Aldeguer. The BK8 Gresini Racing rider is focused on a return at Silverstone.
So, what can Aprilia do to extend their team championship standings? Well, it looks like the Trackhouse MotoGP Team are well and truly capable of picking up the mantle. But this is M.Márquez’s domain, so there’s every chance that the king of the Sachsenring could take a tenth title.
For Moto2, the home crowd will be backing LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP and the current championship leader, Manuel González. Paired with his teammate, Senna Agius, the two have been propelling the team to new heights. However, it was around this time last year that González started to drop off the podium and left the 2025 championship wide open for Moreira to secure. With whispers of who else from Moto2 could move up to the premier class, it is not something González will want to repeat if he is to prove his consistent results.
Quiles currently dominates Moto3, with the #28 maintaining a 90-point lead. But things are starting to move further down the order from riders like Brian Uriarte, Hakim Danish, and David Almansa. Considering the finish of last year’s German GP, Quiles will be looking for redemption as well as gripping on firmly to the championship lead. Could another upset be on the horizon?
This Weekend’s Schedule
The schedule for the weekend is as follows. Please note that all times are in CEST.