Bagnaia takes pole, Marc Marquez makes it a blockbuster qualifying in Germany
Bagnaia, Marini & Miller head the grid, but MM93 steals the headlines after recovering from Q1 and three crashes to take a hard-earned P7.
Sachsenring (Germany), June 17, 2023: Crashes, pitlane sprints and serious skills were on show as MotoGP qualifying threw up drama aplenty at the Liqui Moly Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland, the round 7 of the 20-round World Motorcycle Racing Championship here on Saturday . It will be Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) starting from pole position as the Italian’s 1:21.409 saw him beat Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) by 0.078s, with Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) completing a front row split by just 0.083s. Elsewhere, Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) claimed a third row start despite three crashes across Q1 and Q2, the number 93 going all in against quite a mountain to climb.
Slick tyre gambles pay off
After an eventful Friday, King of the Ring Marc Marquez found himself in Q1 – and after morning rainfall, conditions were damp but drying quickly at the Sachsenring. After one flying lap, the #93 led Miguel Oliveira (CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team) by 0.9s before pulling into pitlane. There was a very noticeable dry line but Marquez ventured back out on Michelin’s rain tyres, as did Franco Morbidelli (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), but Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) opted for a pair of slicks.
Then, 0.3s under his fastest lap, it was unlucky Turn 13 as Marquez tucked the front. The Spaniard had barely come to a halt before he was up and legging it back to pitlane to hop on his second RC213V – on slick tyres. Meanwhile, on rain tyres still, Augusto Fernandez (GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3) went P2 before Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) was then fastest. He too was on rain tyres but Binder moved the goalposts on his slick tyres – the South African 0.4s quicker than Viñales, with Marquez P3 heading onto his final lap.
Binder improved again on his next lap, his advantage up to nearly two seconds, as Marquez engaged attack mode. A moment out the final corner cost the HRC star time, but not enough to stop him from snatching P2 from Viñales. Binder and Marc Marquez sailed into Q2 as the slick tyre gamble paid off.
