Heading wide at Turn 1 saw the #93 forced into a comeback as Bezzecchi just loses out and Quartararo holds off Diggia in Germany.
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 Márquez’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 MÁRQUEZ WIDE, BEZZECCHI LEADS
Marc Márquez 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? Zarco was an outlier in selecting.
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 Márquez 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 Márquez 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 Márquez 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 Márquez 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. Márquez 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. Márquez 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.
Márquez 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. The #93 now has the most Sprint wins taken in a season, outdoing Jorge Martin's 2023 total of nine.
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 Márquez (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.
Find full Sprint results HERE! That's a wrap on Saturday... but the Grand Prix remains and the weather could change again. Ready for more of the most exciting sport on Earth in Germany? Bis morgen!
Dixon emerges from Q1 to take last dash wet pole in Germany
Jake Dixon (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) is back on top in Moto2™ as the Brit took a stunning wet weather pole position at the Liqui Moly Grand Prix of Germany. He denied fellow Q1 graduate Barry Baltus (Fantic Racing Lino Sonego), with Tony Arbolino (BLUCRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2) completing the front row as all three took the fight to the wire. Championship leader Manuel Gonzalez (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) had a tougher time of it and starts down in P16...
Wet in Q1 and wet in Q2, the conditions turned Friday form on its head and some crashes near the end of Q2 almost saw yellow flags decide some key positions on the grid too. But in the end the top three could get their final flyers in, denying provisional polesitter Senna Agius (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP), who was one of those to crash too. Rider ok but demoted to P4.
Albert Arenas (ITALJET Gresini Moto2), another who came through Q1, and Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) lock out Row 2, ahead of Marcos Ramirez (OnlyFans American Racing), Alonso Lopez (Folladore SpeedRS Team) and rookie Ivan Ortola (QJMOTOR - FRINSA – MSI) on Row 3. Joe Roberts (OnlyFans American Racing) completes the top ten.
That leaves some other perennial frontrunners down the order – as well as Gonzalez in P16, Aron Canet (Fantic Racing Lino Sonego) crashed and is P12, needing to be passed fit to race too, and winner last time out, Diogo Moreira (Italtrans Racing Team), didn’t make it out of Q1.
For full results, click HERE – and tune in for more Moto2 on Sunday!
Ogden takes awesome maiden pole in Germany
Scott Ogden (CIP Green Power) pipped David Almansa (Leopard Racing) and Guido Pini (LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP) to a very wet pole position at the Liqui Moly Grand Prix of Germany, with the Brit shining in the rain to secure that impressive career first pole. Down in P12, Championship leader Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) found the wet weather tricky on Saturday.
Whilst the drizzle fizzled out after Q1, the track was still too wet to think about anything but wet tyres for the all-important qualifying time attacks in Q2. On the installation lap, Pini fell at Turn 8, bringing out the red flag to fix the damaged air fence that his bike had hit. He was OK and after a short pause, action resumed with 11 minutes on the clock.
There was no time to waste as the riders hit the track and steadily, lap times were improving. With five minutes to go, Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing) took over at the top before running on at Turn 1 whilst there were red sectors galore behind him. The rider who took over was Ogden, continuing his strong weekend.
David Muñoz (LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP) crashed at Turn 8, just like teammate Pini, ending his session with three minutes to go. A few minutes later, Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) crashed at the same corner. With the yellow flags out and no option to improve for the rest, Ogden held on to pole, the first of his career and the first for a British rider since the European GP in 2020 and John McPhee.
Almansa came good to take P2 whilst it was Pini who rounds out the front row. Teammate Muñoz clinched P4 ahead of late faller Carpe and Fernandez completing Row 2..
Behind the top six, Maximo Quiles (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) heads up the third row ahead of Q1 graduate Cormac Buchanan (DENSSI Racing - BOE) and a career-best for Eddie O’Shea (GRYD Mlav Racing) in P9. The top ten is rounded out by Angel Piqueras (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI).
Championship leader Rueda could only manage P12 and has work to do for Sunday, whereas Joel Kelso (LEVELUP-MTA) is just behind him in P13 and needs to be passd fit to race.
Find full qualifying results HERE and tune in for the Moto3 showdown at Mugello!