Marc Márquez will start from pole position for the LIQUI MOLY Grand Prix of Germany after breaking another lap record at the Sachsenring. With a time attack of 1:19.041, the reigning world champion has secured prime position for the Tissot Sprint and feature race. Read on to see how the MotoGP Qualifying unfolded at the German GP.
Quick Summary of Free Practice 2
Riders first started the Saturday morning with the Free Practice 2 session. The 30-minute session was fairly uneventful, with many not wanting to push the limits too much before the MotoGP Qualifying. There was only the one crash in the second half of FP2, with Álex Rins finding the gravel at Turn 1. While the top spot changed hands numerous times, it was Álex Márquez who set the fastest time with a lap of 1:20.333. That time was set in the first third of the session with no other rider coming close to beating it.
A Battle of Former World Champions in Q1
After his crash in the earlier session, Rins set his Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP team a challenge: get the second bike ready for Q1. But the #42 was out with the rest of the contenders battling for an advancing Q2 spot as 15 minutes counted down. His teammate, Fabio Quartararo, was the first to start time attacks, followed closely by Francesco Bagnaia. It was the Ducati Lenovo Team rider who took the first shot at the top of the timesheets with a 1:19.954, with Joan Mir just a fraction behind.
With so many former MotoGP world champions once again in this session, it would come down to the final minutes as to who would take the top two spots. Riders returned to the Sachsenring circuit for the second run of time attacks, with Diogo Moreira shadowing the session leaders. The tactic almost paid off as the Brazilian rider matched Bagnaia’s sector times. However, it wasn’t quite enough to bump him up from P3.
For any chance of moving from Q1 to Q2, nothing short of a lap in the 1:19s would do. While Bagnaia remained unfazed, Mir’s spot was under threat. Eventually, Quartararo nabbed it, knocking the #36 out of Q2 contention.
Feeling like they had done what was needed, Bagnaia and Quartararo returned to the pit lane, leaving the spots vulnerable. Luca Marini had a promising run but lost ground in the final sector. With no other takers and the checkered flags out, Bagnaia and Quartararo moved up, leaving the Honda HRC Castrol riders behind.
King of the Ring Returns as Bezzecchi Crashes
After topping Friday’s Practice session, M.Márquez looked confident coming out onto the track. But competition was fierce immediately, with Fabio Di Giannantonio coming up to sit on provisional pole. Unfortunately, Marco Bezzecchi came off second best in a nasty crash at Turn 7.
With all this drama, Raúl Fernández and Á.Márquez set blistering paces to move up the board. But it wasn’t long before Di Giannantonio was back in the top spot with a 1:19.188. Despite having prepared the second bike, Aprilia Racing saw sense not to send Bezzecchi back out onto the Sachsenring circuit.
Only a few minutes remained, and the track turned into a straight shootout. M. Márquez set the fastest lap ever recorded at the German track to take P1, while the younger Márquez brother moved up to second.
Sprint and Feature Race to Come
Now that qualifying is done, we get down to the points part of the German GP weekend. Something to remember is that while no penalties are served in the Tissot Sprint, Franco Morbidelli and Moreira will both be shuffled down the order on Sunday. Both riders have been handed grid placement penalties. In fact, there will be a few changes to the grid layout, including adjustments to the spacing between rows.
After Bezzecchi’s crash, the #72 looked to be holding his right hand a little delicately and was escorted to the medical centre. It would be no surprise, then, if an announcement were made about the Aprilia rider’s withdrawal. All eyes, however, will be on that front row. Can M. Márquez make it a double-win weekend and take his tenth German GP victory? Look for our continued coverage to find out how it all unfolds.