Reigning World Champion Tops Friday Practice While Title Rivals Prepare for Crucial Qualifying
Marc Marquez made an emphatic statement at the Sachsenring by finishing fastest in Friday afternoon MotoGP Practice, strengthening his status as the favourite for this weekend’s Liqui Moly German Grand Prix.
The Ducati Lenovo Team rider produced a series of blistering laps during the closing stages of the session to clock a best time of 1:19.394, comfortably securing the top spot on one of his most successful circuits.
With nine premier-class victories already to his name at Sachsenring, Marquez once again demonstrated why the German circuit has become synonymous with his MotoGP career. As the championship reaches its halfway point, another victory this weekend could significantly strengthen his title challenge before the summer break.
Raul Fernandez delivered another impressive performance to finish second for the SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team, while Fabio Di Giannantonio continued his consistent form by securing third place and direct progression into Saturday’s Q2 session.
Marquez Looks Completely at Home Around Sachsenring
Ducati Star Delivers Late Flying Laps to Secure Friday Honours
Friday’s Practice session developed into a familiar story as Marc Marquez steadily built his pace before unleashing his fastest laps when it mattered most.
The Spaniard initially remained close to the front throughout the session before waiting until the closing minutes to fully exploit the improving circuit conditions.
Once the soft rear tyre was fitted, Marquez immediately dipped into the 1:19s, becoming the first rider to break that barrier before lowering the benchmark even further with his eventual session-topping lap.
His performance sent another warning to the rest of the paddock that the Sachsenring specialist remains the rider to beat.
Having dominated this circuit throughout much of his MotoGP career, Marquez arrives this weekend chasing a remarkable tenth premier-class victory at the venue—a feat that would further cement his place among the greatest circuit specialists in Grand Prix history.
After speaking confidently on Thursday about feeling “back in the game” in the championship fight, Friday’s pace suggested those words were backed by genuine confidence.
Early Session Sees Bezzecchi Lead the Way
Aprilia Riders Start Strong Before Pace Intensifies
As Practice began, Marco Bezzecchi wasted little time moving to the top of the timing screens.
The Aprilia Racing rider, still recovering from his heavy crash at Assen, immediately looked comfortable around the technical German circuit.
Bezzecchi briefly led from Marc Marquez and Alex Marquez during the opening phase as riders concentrated on race pace and machine setup rather than outright speed.
With grip levels steadily improving throughout the afternoon, lap times quickly began to tumble as teams prepared for the decisive final time attack.
Morbidelli Penalised After Incident with Acosta
Stewards Hand VR46 Rider Three-Place Grid Penalty
One of Friday’s biggest talking points arrived midway through Practice following an incident involving Franco Morbidelli and Pedro Acosta.
Morbidelli was judged to have ridden unnecessarily slowly on the racing line approaching Turn 7, forcing Acosta to take avoiding action during a fast lap.
Following an investigation, race stewards handed the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team rider a three-place grid penalty.
The punishment carries added significance as it represents Morbidelli’s second similar offence, underlining MotoGP’s continued focus on rider safety during qualifying-style sessions.
Brazilian rookie Diogo Moreira also received a three-place grid penalty following a separate incident during Friday’s running.
Fierce Fight for Automatic Q2 Places
Final Minutes Produce Constant Changes in the Top Ten
As the session entered its second half, attention shifted almost entirely towards securing one of the ten automatic places in Saturday’s Q2 qualifying session.
Fabio Quartararo briefly climbed into the top ten before Cal Crutchlow produced an impressive lap for Castrol Honda LCR to move into the provisional qualifying positions.
However, the order continued changing almost every lap.
Brad Binder soon displaced Crutchlow before Fabio Di Giannantonio, Enea Bastianini, Luca Marini and Joan Mir all improved, leaving several high-profile names in danger of missing automatic qualification.
Among those temporarily outside the top ten were Francesco Bagnaia and Pedro Acosta, highlighting just how competitive Friday’s session had become.
Final Time Attack Delivers Dramatic Finish
Fernandez and Di Giannantonio Shine Alongside Marquez
The final ten minutes produced the fastest laps of the day.
Marc Marquez initially became the first rider to break into the 1:19s, only for Jack Miller to remarkably match his lap time moments later aboard the Prima Pramac Yamaha.
Fabio Di Giannantonio then briefly moved to the top with an excellent lap before Alex Marquez slotted into second position.
The leaderboard continued changing with every passing minute.
When it mattered most, however, Marc Marquez responded once again.
His final flying lap of 1:19.394 proved untouchable, restoring him to the top of the classification.
Raul Fernandez produced one of his strongest performances of the season to secure second place, while Di Giannantonio completed the top three after another quietly impressive session.
Alex Marquez finished fourth, continuing BK8 Gresini Racing’s encouraging form, while Jack Miller secured an excellent fifth position to give Yamaha another welcome boost heading into qualifying.
Recent Dutch Grand Prix winner Ai Ogura completed the top six after another impressive showing for the Trackhouse squad.
Marco Bezzecchi, championship leader Jorge Martin, Pedro Acosta and Franco Morbidelli rounded out the top ten and all progressed directly into Q2.
Bagnaia Faces Difficult Route Through Q1
Former Champion Left Searching for More Speed
One of Friday’s biggest surprises came when Francesco Bagnaia failed to secure direct qualification for Q2.
The Ducati Lenovo Team rider never appeared fully comfortable around Sachsenring and eventually finished outside the crucial top ten positions.
Bagnaia will now face Saturday morning’s Q1 session, where only the fastest two riders advance into the final qualifying shootout.
Joining him in Q1 are Fabio Quartararo, Luca Marini, Joan Mir and Enea Bastianini, who crashed late in Practice after already posting a competitive lap.
With several race winners forced into the opening qualifying session, Saturday promises to be one of the most competitive Q1 battles of the season.
Raul Fernandez Continues Outstanding Form
Trackhouse Rider Builds on Strong Assen Weekend
Raul Fernandez’s second-place finish further confirmed the progress being made by the Trackhouse MotoGP project.
After enjoying his strongest weekend of the season at Assen, Fernandez has carried that confidence into Germany.
His pace throughout Friday suggests another podium challenge cannot be ruled out if he can maintain the same level of performance during qualifying and the races.
Jack Miller Gives Yamaha Encouragement
Australian Secures Direct Passage to Q2
Jack Miller enjoyed one of Yamaha’s strongest Friday performances of the season by finishing fifth.
The Australian extracted impressive speed from the Prima Pramac Yamaha machine and comfortably secured direct qualification for Q2.
Combined with Ai Ogura’s sixth-place finish and Jorge Martin’s eighth position on the Aprilia, Friday highlighted just how competitive the midfield battle remains heading into the remainder of the weekend.
Moto2: Guevara Breaks Lap Record
Spaniard Leads Closely Matched Intermediate Class
Moto2 delivered another fiercely competitive Practice session, with Izan Guevara setting a new Sachsenring lap record.
The BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2 rider topped the timesheets with a 1:22.260, edging fellow Spaniard Ivan Ortola by just 0.036 seconds.
Dutch TT winner David Alonso continued his impressive form by finishing third, while Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP teammates Senna Agius and championship leader Manuel Gonzalez completed the top five.
Both Intact GP riders comfortably secured direct entry into Q2, although they will aim to reduce the gap to Guevara during Saturday’s qualifying session.
One notable casualty was Celestino Vietti, who could only manage 18th and now faces the added challenge of progressing through Q1.
Returning Japanese rider Mario Aji also impressed by securing automatic qualification for Q2 following his comeback from injury.
Moto3: Pratama Leads as Quiles Suffers Major Setback
Championship Leader Forced Into Q1 After Heavy Crash
Moto3 Practice produced one of Friday’s biggest shocks.
Championship leader Maximo Quiles crashed heavily at Turn 7 early in the session, preventing him from recording a single timed lap.
With insufficient time to repair his motorcycle, the Spaniard was forced to watch the remainder of Practice from the garage and will now face the added challenge of qualifying through Q1.
The session was topped by Indonesian rookie Veda Pratama, who continued his excellent debut season with Honda Team Asia.
Pratama narrowly finished ahead of Joel Esteban, while British rider Eddie O’Shea maintained his strong recent form by securing third place for the second consecutive Grand Prix weekend.
Further drama unfolded when Guido Pini crashed heavily and collected Adrian Cruces, leaving both riders unable to continue.
The intense competition saw 21 riders covered by less than one second, once again highlighting Moto3’s remarkable depth of talent.
Saturday Set for High-Stakes Qualifying
Friday’s Practice sessions have laid the foundation for what promises to be an exciting Saturday at Sachsenring.
Marc Marquez appears firmly in control as he chases a historic tenth MotoGP victory at one of his favourite circuits, but Raul Fernandez, Fabio Di Giannantonio and the Aprilia riders have all demonstrated enough pace to challenge if conditions remain favourable.
Meanwhile, Francesco Bagnaia faces the difficult task of surviving Q1, Moto2 qualifying promises another close battle following Guevara’s lap record, and Moto3 championship leader Maximo Quiles must recover from Friday’s crash if he hopes to keep his title challenge on track.
With Sprint Race points, qualifying positions and valuable championship momentum all at stake before the summer break, Saturday’s action at Sachsenring is shaping up to be one of the most important days of the 2026 MotoGP season.
