#GermanGP – MOTOGP, SPRINT & RACE – Magnificent Marquez reigns in Germany as podium contenders crash
MOTOGP – SPRINT: Marc Marquez beats Bezzecchi on final lap to clinch Sachsenring gold
Was it ever in doubt you might ask? Well, for 14 and a half of the 15 laps, it absolutely was. However, in the end, Marc Marquez’s (Ducati Lenovo Team) final lap pass on Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) saw the championship leader pocket another gold medal in a blistering wet weather Liqui Moly Grand Prix of Germany Tissot Sprint. And joining the Ducati and Aprilia stars on the podium was Fabio Quartararo as Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s lead rider claims a Sprint rostrum for the first time since 2023.
MARC MARQUEZ WIDE, BEZZECCHI LEADS
Marc Marquez got a phenomenal launch from pole but he was wide at Turn 1. That cost the polesitter a handful of positions as he dropped to P5 initially, before that was then P6 as Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) carved his way through at Turn 8.
Meanwhile, your Sprint leader was Bezzecchi, the Italian had compatriot Morbidelli 0.6s behind him, as Quartararo enjoyed his opening two laps – the Frenchman was up to P3 from seventh on the grid. However, his countryman was going the opposite way. Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR) dropped to P10; was the medium rear wet Michelin tyre choice a factor?
Morbidelli was then down at Turn 8 on Lap 3, and it was a fast one. That promoted Quartararo to P2 and on the next two laps, El Diablo was the quickest rider on track. The gap between Bezzecchi and Quartararo was 1.5s on Lap 5 of 15, as Marc Marquez made a move on Di Giannantonio stick – and Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) followed the #93 through soon after as the Spaniards now sat P3 and P4.
THE COMEBACK BEGINS
Once he got through on Di Giannantonio, Marc Marquez was now the quickest rider on track. The gap to Bezzecchi was 2.4s, and the gap to Quartararo was 1.2s at the start of Lap 7.
Acosta’s podium hopes ended on Lap 8 after he ran into the gravel at Turn 8, as we then watched Marquez pass Quartararo for P2 at Turn 1 at the beginning of Lap 9. At this stage, Bezzecchi had 1.6s in hand. That dropped to 1.3s at the start of Lap 10, but Bezzecchi was responding well to the championship leader’s charge.
0.5s was shaved off Bezzecchi’s lead by Marquez though as they entered the final four laps, and the gap was now down to under a second. Big pressure was building on the shoulders of Bezzecchi, and with three to go, there was only 0.5s between the top two.
Two to go. Now, there was nothing in it. Marquez was right on the tailpipes of the Aprilia star, as we strapped in for a gold medal battle to the chequered flag.
Last lap time. Marquez made a move at Turn 1 that looked like it wouldn’t stick, but he hung it around the outside and earned the inside line for Turn 2 to pinch P1 from Bezzecchi. Could the latter respond? For the battle, Bezzecchi and Aprilia, unfortunately not.
Marquez was too strong through the left-handers, and it was the #93 who clinched victory ahead of the impressive Bezzecchi and Quartararo, who did enough to narrowly hold off Di Giannantonio in the latter stages to pick up his first Sprint podium since the 2023 Dutch GP.
SPRINT POINTS SCORERS
The aforementioned Di Giannantonio was P4, 0.3s away from the bronze medal position, as Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP) rounded out the top five on a positive afternoon for Yamaha. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) kept Zarco and Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) behind him, as the latter loses 10 points in the title chase while nursing his hand fracture. The last point went to Acosta, the #37 recovering well after his off.
MOTOGP – RACE: Magnificent Marquez reigns in Germany as podium contenders crash
Simply put, different class. On his 200th start, Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) moved into second place on the MotoGP victory tally charts – surpassing Legend Giacomo Agostini – in a display of perfection at the Liqui Moly Grand Prix of Germany. It’s 69 wins now for the King of the Sachsenring, as Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP), on his 100th start, strung together an impressive ride to finish P2 while injured. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) bounced back with a podium finish in P3 in a battle that saw rostrum contenders crash out at the Sachsenring.
LIGHTS OUT: MARC GRABS HOLESHOT, DIGGIA POUNCES
With the threat of wet weather forcing its way into playing a leading role diminishing towards go time, we strapped ourselves in for a dry German GP and as the lights went out, it was Marc Marquez who collected the holeshot as Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) made a blinder from P6 to grab an early P3. Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) slotted into P2, as Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR) slipped to P5 on the opening lap from the middle of the front row.
Di Giannantonio and Bezzecchi exchanged P2 on the opening lap before the former made a move stick at Turn 12, as Alex Marquez and Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) engaged battle too. Marc Marquez, meanwhile, was blissfully unaware of the fight unfolding behind him as he stretched his advantage to 0.7s at the end of Lap 3.
ACOSTA CRASHES AS MARC EXTENDS ADVANTAGE
Acosta’s Grand Prix then ended with a crash at Turn 2 from P5, so that was KTM’s main hopes of the Sachsenring podium over. That promoted Bagnaia to P5, with Alex Marquez swarming all over the tailpipes of Bezzecchi for P3. 0.6s up the road in P2, Di Giannantonio was losing around a tenth a lap to Marc Marquez at this stage of the Grand Prix.
It was more than that for the next few laps though. The #93 was the only rider capable of lapping in the 1:20s on a consistent basis, he hadn’t dropped into the 1:21 bracket, and the gap on Lap 8 of 30 was up to 1.7s. And by Lap 16, just over half race distance, Marc Marquez’s lead was north of three seconds.
PODIUM CONTENDERS CRASH
Di Giannantonio was under a second ahead of Bezzecchi, with Alex Marquez and then Bagnaia all operating at equal distance behind each other. But then, we lost our second place rider from the Grand Prix. Di Giannantonio tucked the front at Turn 1 on Lap 18, and Zarco was out of the race at the same corner – albeit a little further around – as two of the top six had premature ends to their German GPs.
That meant Alex Marquez was lifted to a podium position in P3, and the rider second in the championship chase had 1.2s to play with to Pecco in P4. But then, Turn 1 caught out our P2 rider again. Bezzecchi’s impressive race was over in similar fashion to Di Giannantonio, so that meant it was Marc Marquez leading Alex Marquez by 5.9s, with Bagnaia now P3.
Turn 1 was really proving tricky. In the fight for the top 10, Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) took out the luckless Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol), and while the yellow flags were waving, Lorenzo Savadori (Aprilia Racing) chucked it down the road at Turn 1 too.
THE SACHSENKING KEEPS HIS CROWN
In terms of the victory and podium fight, there was nothing much to report. Marc Marquez cruised to a 9th MotoGP victory at the Sachsenring, with Alex Marquez limiting the points damage with a brilliant ride to P2 while nursing his fractured left hand, as Pecco salvages a solid P3 after a Saturday to forget.
YOUR POINTS SCORERS
In the fight for P4, Quartararo fended off Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) as the Frenchman and Spaniard claim P4 and P5 in Germany. The returning Luca Marini (Honda HRC Castrol) earned his best HRC result in P6, in what was a fantastic fight between the Italian, seventh place Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and eighth place Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP).
Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) and Alex Rins (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) rounded out the top 10 and that was your lot in terms of finishers in a race of attrition at the Sachsenring.
It was a rather difficult weekend because the track was basically new to me and the constant weather changes certainly didn’t help. Unfortunately, I made a small mistake in the race and I crashed. I’m sorry and I apologize to the entire team and to Aprilia. In spite of everything, we are still satisfied and remain positive, because we tested some interesting upgrades and the bike is getting better and better
Lorenzo Savadori – NC
Click the button below to find out all the images of the #KytCrew during the weekend in Germany.