Sachsenring, Hellish Sprint: Marquez King of the Rain, Bezzecchi Gives Up at the Last

Marc Marquez's victory in the Sprint at the Sachsenring was certainly not unexpected, but the Spaniard's tenth win in the short distance of the 2025 MotoGP World Championship is truly memorable. On the wet track, the Ducati rider triumphed by coming back from a bad start. The last to surrender was Marco Bezzecchi, second, giving the Aprilia team another podium. Fabio Quartararo performed well, finishing third for Yamaha after a solid race. Marquez further extended his championship lead, considering the difficulties of his direct title rivals: his brother Alex finished eighth and lost 78 points, while Francesco Bagnaia, only twelfth in Germany, has a 138-point gap.

Maverick Viñales did not take part in the 15-lap Sprint: medical tests revealed a tear in the supraspinatus tendon in his left shoulder. The Tech3 team was thus without riders, also due to the absence of Enea Bastianini. It wasn't raining, but the track was wet. Zarco chose two medium tires, going against the grain of most riders, who preferred the medium-soft combination. The idea didn't pay off, and the Frenchman finished far from the front. Poleman Marquez got a good start, but missed the first braking point and dropped to seventh. The Spaniard attempted to move up, while Bezzecchi took the lead, followed by Morbidelli and Quartararo. On the third lap, Franco suffered a nasty crash, leaving him down in pain.

Marc continues to push, but finds Di Giannantonio a real obstacle in the fight for fifth place. His race seems compromised. In reality, it's the beginning of yet another magical moment. On the fifth lap, Di Giannantonio begins to falter and loses ground to Marquez and Acosta. Pedro, however, ruins everything with a trip into the gravel, dropping back to the fringes of the points zone. Marquez, however, definitively changes pace. On the ninth lap, he catches Quartararo, passes him, and moves up to second. Then the chase begins for Bezzecchi. Marco seems to hold on, maintaining a comfortable lead. But the championship leader is unleashed, and in the final four laps, he laps half a second faster than the Aprilia rider. At the start of the final lap, the overtaking move concludes the chase and launches Marquez toward his tenth win in the Sprints.

Quartararo secured a strong third place. The Yamaha rider slowed as the race progressed, but held off Di Giannantonio's assault. Miller finished fifth, followed by Binder, Zarco, and Alex Marquez, who had a strong race considering his injured left hand. Acosta rounded out the points zone in ninth. Bagnaia finished twelfth. The Italian confirmed the difficulties he'd seen in qualifying and struggled to find his rhythm on the wet track. A nightmare day for the runner-up.

The MotoGP Sprint finish line at the Sachsenring:

1. M. Marquez (Spa, Ducati) in 22'25”747
2. Bezzecchi (Italy, Aprilia) +0.938
3. Quartararo (Fra, Yamaha) +4.361
4. By Giannantonio (Ita, VR46 Ducati) +4.683
5. Miller (Aus, Pramac Yamaha) +9.405
6. Binder (Saf, Ktm) +11.720
7. Zarco (Fra, Lcr Honda) +12.090
8. A. Marquez (Spa, Gresini Ducati) +12.347
9. Acosta (Spa, KTM) +17.236
10. Aldeguer (Spa, Gresini Ducati) +18.728
11. Oliveira (Por, Pramac Yamaha) +19,486
12. Bagnaia (Italy, Ducati) +20.339
13. R. Fernandez (Spa, Trackhouse Aprilia) +21,978
14. Mir (Spa, Honda) +23.077
15. Rins (Spa, Yamaha) +23.575
16. Marini (Ita, Honda) +29.220
17. Ogura (Japan, Trackhouse Aprilia) +31.433
18. Savadori (Ita, Aprilia) +50,698
19. Retirement: Morbidelli (Italy, VR46 Ducati)

Here is the top 5 of the World Championship after the Sprint at Sachsenring:

1. M. Marquez (Spa, Ducati) 319 points
2. A. Marquez (Spa, Gresini Ducati) 241
3. Bagnaia (Italy, Ducati) 181
4. By Giannantonio (Ita, VR46 Ducati) 142
5. Morbidelli (Ita, VR46 Ducati) 139