2026 German GP Race Report

It was a memorable Saturday for Marc Marquez at the Sachsenring: after taking pole position in the morning, where he set a new circuit record, the Ducati Lenovo Team rider number 93 won a Tissot Sprint in the afternoon, leading from start to finish. The Spaniard didn't break away: he was closely followed for the 15-lap race by his brother Alex (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP), who had to guard the resurgence of Fabio Di Giannantonio towards the end. 

The Roman rider of the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team dropped from third to fourth at the start, surprised by the catapult start of Ai Ogura (SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team) from fifth on the grid. He caught up with the two leaders a few corners later and stayed close to the Marquez brothers in the first third of the Sprint. He then lost a few meters, which he managed to make up in the finale. He got dangerously close, but not enough to attempt an attack on Alex, who never really threatened Marc.

Aprilia
Ogura finished alone in fourth place ahead of teammate Raul Fernandez, who had to hold off championship points leader Jorge Martin in the closing stages. 

The Spaniard from the Aprilia Racing team wasn't incisive at the start and found himself in ninth place. He reacted immediately, moving three places higher, but then made no further progress in terms of position. 

The riders in the points:
Behind him, under the checkered flag, was Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), who finished seventh ahead of Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), the last of the riders in the points.

MOTOGP - RACE
Marc Marquez unforgiving: 10th crash at the Sachsenring, moves up to 3rd place in the championship

Everything went according to plan at the Sachsenring. At least when it came to the winner, as Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team), who arrived in Germany with nine appearances on the top step of the premier class podium at this track, reached ten with a race in which he was never in doubt. He is the king, and he showed it. First on the track, where no one questioned him. Then in the grandstands, where he fished out a crown and put it on his head to celebrate.

Two protagonists out.
Behind him, however, there were a few surprises. The first involved Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team), bronze medalist in the Tissot Sprint yesterday. The Roman, starting from third on the grid, lost two positions at the start and found himself fifth behind Ai Ogura (SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team). The Roman seemed to have a superior pace to the Japanese rider. But he couldn't find the right gap. He tried until lap four, when he crashed.

Five laps later, another decisive incident occurred: Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP), currently second behind his brother Marc and silver on Saturday afternoon, lost the front end on the final corner, thus ending his Sunday.

The Trackhouse duo in the podium zone.
At that point, second place was inherited by Raul Fernandez (SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team), who, along with his teammate Ogura, had passed Di Giannantonio at the start.

By lap 20, two-thirds of the way through the race, the number 25 rider was a couple of seconds behind the leader. But he had to worry about who was behind him: Ogura, who after Di Giannantonio's crash had been challenged by Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), who then dropped back, was in fact gaining ground meter by meter. On a twisty track like the Sachsenring, Fernandez held on until lap 25, when he surrendered to his teammate.

Bagnaia stuck behind Martin.
The podium positions remained frozen until the checkered flag, with Acosta fourth and Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing) fifth, ahead of Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team). The Borgo Panigale factory rider was stuck behind the Spaniard for several laps, very close and making several attacks, but never able to capitalize.

The top ten was completed by Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) in seventh, Luca Marini (Honda HRC Castrol) in eighth, Enea Bastianini (Red Bull KTM Tech3) in ninth, and Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) in tenth.

Enea Bastianini P9

“You can overtake here, but it's very difficult, especially at the start of the race. The bike vibrated a lot when I was in the slipstream of the other riders in the first ten laps, and we had a lot of understeer. After that, I found a good feeling, and lap after lap, the bike improved. I managed to complete the last ten laps at a good pace. The tire life wasn't too bad. Now I know that, instead of staying behind a rider and studying him, I have to overtake right away. If you wait, it's already too late! I'm not satisfied with the weekend as a whole. It was very complicated after a positive race in Assen, but we gave it our all, and with this ninth place, we managed to stay in the top ten.”

Diogo Moreira P11

“It was a very long race! Thirty laps is a really long time. I tried to stay focused, avoid mistakes, and manage the race well. We did it and scored some points, which is always important. With the new starting grid procedure, it was difficult to get a better start. I stayed with the group and gathered information to improve, which was important.”

MOTO3
Uriarte beats Quiles, Bertelle on the podium

The Liqui Moly German Moto3 Grand Prix was decided on the final lap in a two-way battle. Brain Uriarte (Red Bull KTM Ajo), who started from pole after showing strong pace in practice, faced championship leader Maximo Quiles (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team), the only rider on the grid to match the number 51's pace. 

Over the 23 scheduled laps, the two opened up a gap.

The victory ultimately went to Uriarte, who, after leading for much of the race, began the final lap in the slipstream of his Spanish compatriot. He passed him at Turn 3, where Quiles nearly crashed, his bike visibly disjointed. From there, the 17-year-old rookie closed the gap and crossed the finish line in first place. 

About five seconds behind, the battle for the final step of the podium involved Marco Morelli (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team), Matteo Bertelle (LEVEL UP - MTA), and Rico Salmela (Red Bull KTM Tech3), who arrived in that order at the final corner. Defensive on the entry, the number 97, however, sacrificed momentum on the exit. Bertelle took advantage, narrowly edging him out by 0.07 of a second. 

Guido Pini (Leopard Racing) finished fifteenth, with Nicola Carraro (Rivacold Snipers Team) four places further back.

Nicola Carraro P19