MARC MARQUEZ TAKES SACHSENRING POLE WITH NEW LAP RECORD
Marc Marquez once again proved why he is known as the King of the Sachsenring. The Ducati Lenovo Team rider claimed pole position for the German Grand Prix with a new all-time lap record, continuing his incredible form at one of his favourite circuits.
Marquez set a stunning lap time of 1:19.041, but the battle was extremely close. His younger brother Alex Marquez finished second, only 0.061 seconds behind, creating an all-Ducati front row. Fabio Di Giannantonio completed the front row in third place, less than a tenth and a half away from pole.
Aprilia had a difficult qualifying session. Championship leader Jorge Martin could only manage ninth place, while teammate Marco Bezzecchi suffered a major setback. The Italian crashed at Turn 7 during Q2 and later medical checks confirmed that he had fractured his left collarbone. Bezzecchi will miss the rest of the weekend and will return to Italy for surgery.
In Q1, Francesco Bagnaia and Fabio Quartararo secured the final places into the pole position shootout. Bagnaia was the fastest early on with a strong lap, while Quartararo improved later to take second place in the session. Joan Mir and Luca Marini were unable to respond and were eliminated.
Q2 started with several riders challenging for the top spot. Di Giannantonio initially led the session, while Marc Marquez remained close behind. Raul Fernandez then surprised everyone by moving to provisional pole with a strong lap, showing impressive pace for Trackhouse Racing.
After Bezzecchi’s crash interrupted the session, the fight for pole became intense. With only a few minutes remaining, Di Giannantonio returned to the top, while Marc Marquez briefly dropped outside the front row.
However, the six-time MotoGP champion produced another incredible final attempt. Three strong sectors followed by a perfect final sector allowed Marquez to take provisional pole and break the Sachsenring lap record. Alex Marquez then completed the Ducati 1-2 by moving into second place, while Quartararo delivered another impressive qualifying performance to secure sixth.
Behind the front row, Raul Fernandez and Ai Ogura will start fourth and fifth, giving Trackhouse Racing two strong positions. Quartararo placed sixth for Yamaha, ahead of Franco Morbidelli, who will drop three places on the grid because of a penalty.
With Bezzecchi unable to race, Jorge Martin moves into eighth position, while Pedro Acosta will start ninth. Francesco Bagnaia, despite progressing through Q1, could only qualify tenth for the Sprint and ninth for the main Grand Prix. Jack Miller completed the Q2 runners in twelfth place.
Marc Marquez will now start as the favourite for both the Sprint and the Grand Prix, while Ducati enters the German weekend with a strong advantage. Aprilia, meanwhile, faces a difficult challenge after a disappointing qualifying session and Bezzecchi’s injury.
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