Marc Márquez wins his 200th race start at the Sachsenring
- Isha Reshmi Mohan
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
Written by Isha Reshmi Mohan
Starting with 18 riders on track and finishing with just 10, the majority of whom fell victim to Turn 1 at the Sachsenring, Marc Márquez was lucky to secure a win in his 200th race start, with Alex and Pecco back on the podium with him.
Grand Prix Results
Marc Márquez, Ducati Lenovo Team, 40:42.854
Álex Márquez, Gresini Racing MotoGP, +6.380
Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Lenovo Team, +7.080
Fabio Quartararo, Monster Energy Yamaha, +18.738
Fermín Aldeguer, Gresini Racing MotoGP, +18.916
Luca Marini, Honda HRC Team, +24.743
Brad Binder, Redbull KTM Factory Racing, +24.820
Jack Miller, Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP, +25.757
Raul Fernandez, Gresini Racing MotoGP, +25.859
Àlex Rins, Monster Energy Yamaha, +39.419
OUT - Joan Mir, Honda HRC Team
OUT - Johann Zarco, Honda LCR Team
OUT - Lorenzo Savadori, Aprilia Racing
OUT - Marco Bezzecchi, Aprilia Racing
OUT - Ai Ogura, Trackhouse Team
OUT - Fabio DiGiannantonio, Pertamina VR46 Team
OUT - Pedro Acosta, KTM Factory Team
OUT - Miguel Oliviera, Yamaha Pramac Team
Report
The front row featured a great mix of manufacturers, with Marc Márquez taking pole position, his 73rd in his career, followed by LCR’s Johann Zarco and Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi.
However, the weekend had its setbacks. After Saturday’s qualifying and sprint sessions, two riders were sidelined following Bastianini. Maverick Viñales crashed in Q2, was taken to hospital, and was ruled out for the rest of the weekend due to a shoulder dislocation, which also left the entire Tech 3 team benched.
Later that day, Franco Morbidelli suffered a heavy crash during the wet sprint session when he went down at Turn 8 on the third lap. He was ruled out due to persistent pain in his left shoulder, according to the MotoGP announcement.
The 30-lap race saw its first crash early on, with Savadori going down on Lap 2 in what could be his final outing for Aprilia, as Jorge Martin is set to return for the next race, dropping Savadori down the timesheets. Meanwhile, Bezzecchi, targeting a podium finish, lost second place to Di Giannantonio but continued a fierce battle with Álex Márquez in the early stages.
From KTM’s camp, Acosta showed promise by qualifying fifth but struggled in the Sprint session after a gravel off, which dropped him to 12th. His race ended prematurely when he crashed at Turn 1 on Lap 4, forcing him to retire alongside Miguel Oliveira. This left Brad Binder as the sole KTM rider on the grid. Binder started strong in qualifying but was also hit hard by the Saturday sprint, pushing him down to 12th.
By halfway through the race, Marc Márquez had extended his lead over Di Giannantonio by 2.5 seconds, with plenty of action still ahead. Unfortunately for Di Giannantonio, his podium hopes ended on Lap 18 when he crashed at Turn 1, marking a tough weekend for the VR46 team.
Just a lap later, Bezzecchi also crashed at Turn 1, losing his second-place spot and promoting Álex Márquez and Bagnaia to second and third. It was a disappointing turn for the Italian, who had been enjoying a strong run following his podium finishes in qualifying and the sprint.
Shortly after, Ai Ogura, Joan Mir, and Savadori all crashed in Sector 1 and were ruled out for the remainder of the race, leaving only 10 riders on track with 8 laps to go.
Despite the carnage, Luca Marini made a strong comeback from injury this weekend, finishing 6th after starting 14th. He gained a position following Viñales’ crash and managed to complete the race, securing valuable points with a solid finish.
And that marks Marc’s 200th race start, Álex’s 100th race start, and a lucky comeback for Pecco, finishing a chaotic weekend in Germany.
Be sure to catch the next race at Czechia on the 20th of July at 11:30am BST.
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