MotoGP: "I'm going to attack even harder," Marc Marquez takes on the Sachsenring
On his favorite Sachsenring circuit, Spaniard Marc Marquez (Ducati), the Spanish leader of the MotoGP world championship, is once again the big favorite for the German Grand Prix this weekend.
Marc Marquez is in his garden at the Sachsenring circuit. Photo Sipa/Robert Michael
He's the man everyone's been waiting for. Marc Marquez is in his backyard at the Sachsenring circuit for the German Grand Prix this weekend.
With eight wins and a second place in nine GPs in the premier class, the six-time world champion feels at home on the track located near Chemnitz, in the former East Germany, and on paper no one seems able to challenge him for victory.
Last year, the Catalan saw his unbeaten MotoGP run in Saxony come to an end after the success of Italian Francesco Bagnaia, his teammate this season at Ducati, but he still managed to move up to second place after starting in 13th position.
Di Giannantonio creates surprise in qualifying practice
Italian Fabio Di Giannantonio (Ducati-VR46) dominated qualifying practice for the German GP ahead of brothers Alex (Ducati-Gresini) and Marc Marquez (Ducati) on Friday at the Sachsenring.
The Italian rider caused a surprise by smashing the German track record, held since last year by the reigning Spanish world champion Jorge Martin, who was riding a Ducati-Pramac, by almost four tenths of a second.
Frenchman Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha), who took pole position two weeks ago at Assen, clinched a fine fourth place at the end of the session and his ticket to Q2, the second part of qualifying which determines the first 12 places on the starting grid.
The second Frenchman, Johann Zarco (Honda-LCR), however failed to secure his ticket to Q2 by finishing 12th and he will have to finish in one of the top two places in Q1 (first part of qualifying) on Saturday if he wants to compete in Q2.
Qualifying practice results, Friday 1. Fabio Di Giannantonio (ITA/Ducati-VR46) 1:19.071 (Q)2. Alex Marquez (ESP/Ducati-Gresini) at 0.337 (Q)3. Marc Marquez (ESP/Ducati) 0.390 (Q)
4. Fabio Quartararo (FRA/Yamaha) 0.453 (Q)
5. Pedro Acosta (ESP/KTM) 0.489 (Q)6. Franco Morbidelli (ITA/Ducati-VR46) 0.521 (Q)7. Marco Bezzecchi (ITA/Aprilia) 0.524 (Q)8. Jack Miller (AUS/Yamaha-Pramac) 0.566 (Q)9. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA/Ducati) 0.627 (Q)10. Brad Binder (RSA/KTM) 0.662 (Q)
This content is blocked because you have not accepted cookies and other trackers.
By clicking on "I accept" , cookies and other trackers will be placed and you will be able to view the contents ( more information ).
By clicking on "I accept all cookies" , you authorize the deposit of cookies and other tracers for the storage of your data on our sites and applications for the purposes of personalization and advertising targeting.
You can withdraw your consent at any time by consulting our data protection policy . Manage my choices
Marc Marquez, a solid championship leader with a lead of 68 and 126 points over his brother Alex (Ducati-Gresini) and Bagnaia respectively, has three perfect weekends (sprint and GP victories) and is approaching this meeting at the Sachsenring with full confidence, where the cool and possibly rainy weather could reshuffle the cards.
"It will be a weekend where I will really be on the attack. Mugello and Assen were two circuits that theoretically were not very favorable to me, but I got maximum points. It is completely different at the Sachsenring, a track that suits my riding style perfectly, so I will push even harder," promised the 32-year-old Spaniard.
As since the beginning of the season, his two main rivals should be Bagnaia and his brother Alex.
"At Assen, we made some steps forward, both in qualifying and in the Grand Prix. The Sachsenring is a very special circuit, and we'll have to see where we can compete with the fastest," explained the two-time Italian world champion.
Alex Marquez, who crashed heavily ten days ago at the Dutch GP and fractured the neck of the second metacarpal in his left hand, underwent surgery a few hours later and should be able to compete in Germany this weekend if he receives the green light from the MotoGP medical team.
Reigning world champion Jorge Martin (Aprilia), who is recovering from a heavy crash in mid-April at the Qatar GP where he suffered a haemopneumothorax and several rib fractures, will still be absent in Germany but is expected to return next week in the Czech Republic after passing a successful test on Wednesday in Misano (Italy).
Zarco losing momentumOn the French side, Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha), who took pole position at Assen, will try to repeat the feat on a track he doesn't particularly like, but where he last won MotoGP three years ago. The Nice rider will especially want to reassure himself during Sunday's race, as he hasn't finished better than 10th in the last five Grands Prix.
Johann Zarco (Honda-LCR) has also been losing momentum since his success in France and his second place in England. The veteran of the grid will be aiming for a top 10 finish a few days before his 35th birthday.
Les Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace
