MotoGP 2026

Round 11 – Sachsenring
MotoGP Sprint Race

---

Marc Marquez completed an imposing Saturday at the Sachsenring, setting a new all-time lap record to claim pole before resisting pressure from Alex Marquez and Fabio Di Giannantonio to win the 15-lap MotoGP Sprint.

It was not the runaway some may have anticipated in territory that has traditionally belonged to Marquez. Alex remained within striking distance throughout, while Di Giannantonio closed on the brothers late in the race.

Neither challenger found a realistic passing opportunity, leaving Marquez to claim his fourth Sprint victory of 2026 and an outright record 19th since the format was introduced.

The result moved Marquez to within 32 points of Championship leader Jorge Martin, while Di Giannantonio is now only 13 points from the top.

Marquez breaks the lap record for ninth Sachsenring pole

Francesco Bagnaia and Fabio Quartararo progressed from Q1 after the Ducati rider topped the opening session with a 1m19.753.

Joan Mir missed promotion by 0.124 seconds, with Luca Marini another 0.010 seconds behind his Honda team-mate. Brad Binder could manage only sixth in Q1 and qualified 16th overall, one position ahead of Enea Bastianini.

The pace increased sharply in Q2, where the benchmark passed between Marc Marquez, Di Giannantonio and Raul Fernandez before Marquez delivered the decisive lap late in the session.

Marquez stopped the clock at 1m19.041, lowering Di Giannantonio’s 2025 all-time Sachsenring record by 0.030 seconds.

Alex Marquez claimed second, only 0.061 seconds behind his brother, while Di Giannantonio completed an all-Ducati front row at a deficit of 0.147 seconds.

It was Ducati’s first qualifying one-two-three since Malaysia last year and the first Marquez brothers qualifying one-two since Aragon in 2025.

The pole was Marquez’s third of the season and his ninth at the Sachsenring. That established a new record for the most MotoGP poles at one circuit since pole positions began being officially recorded in 1974.

Interestingly, Marquez did not set the fastest individual time in any of the four sectors. Pedro Acosta was quickest in Sectors One and Four, while Fernandez topped Sectors Two and Three.

Marquez instead stitched four near-perfect sectors together. His 1m19.041 was identical to his theoretical ideal lap, whereas Fernandez’s best sectors suggested a 1m19.106 was possible, which would have placed the Aprilia rider third.

Acosta’s ideal lap was a 1m19.350 – enough for sixth – but the KTM rider qualified tenth with a 1m19.740.

Fernandez and Ai Ogura filled the second row in fourth and fifth, with Quartararo producing an impressive recovery from Q1 to claim sixth.

Marco Bezzecchi qualified eighth after completing only one timed lap, but a Q2 crash left the Italian with a collarbone injury and forced him to withdraw from the remainder of the German Grand Prix.

His absence promoted Championship leader Martin to eighth for the Sprint, with Bagnaia starting tenth and Jack Miller 11th.

Marquez brothers lead the charge from the off

Marc Marquez launched cleanly from pole and led Alex Marquez into Turn One.

Ogura made an excellent start from the second row and briefly occupied third, but Di Giannantonio recovered the final podium position before the end of the opening lap.

Martin also gained ground immediately, climbing from eighth to sixth, while Quartararo and Acosta began their contest for the final points-paying positions.

At the front, the three Ducatis circulated almost nose-to-tail through the opening phase. Alex looked for opportunities to unsettle his brother, but the Sachsenring’s narrow line and sequence of long left-hand corners left little margin for a clean attack.

Di Giannantonio remained close enough to keep both Marquez brothers under pressure, while Ogura gradually lost contact with the podium group.

Franco Morbidelli had been circulating in the top-ten battle before losing the front at Turn 13 approaching half-distance. The VR46 rider escaped injury but recorded the only retirement of the Sprint.

Marc controls the middle, Alex closes late

Marquez began to stretch the lead through the middle of the race, building a margin of around half a second over Alex by the end of lap nine.

Di Giannantonio sat another six-tenths behind, and for a time it appeared the leading trio had settled into their finishing positions.

Alex had other ideas.

The Gresini rider conserved enough rear tyre to close the margin to 0.337 seconds with three-and-a-half laps remaining. Di Giannantonio responded in turn and was soon closing rapidly on the rear of the #73 Ducati.

With two laps remaining, Di Giannantonio was within attacking range of Alex, but front tyre temperature made a speculative pass particularly risky.

Marquez steadied the gap on the final lap and crossed the line 0.368 seconds ahead of his brother.

Di Giannantonio completed the podium and secured his fifth Sprint rostrum of the season.

It was the first Marquez brothers one-two in a Sprint since Austria last year, while Ducati celebrated its second Sprint podium lockout of 2026 following its one-two-three in Spain.

Marc Márquez – P1

“We had a clear strategy: get a good start and keep the lead, then ride at our own pace. I tried not to overdo it and to avoid any mistakes, while keeping the situation under control. The feeling was excellent and I was able to lap at quite a natural rhythm. Let’s see how it goes tomorrow with the medium tyre. This track isn’t particularly demanding on the body, and that helps. Alex (Márquez) was quicker than me, but I was able to keep him behind.”

Alex Marquez – P2

“Honestly, I was hoping to get ahead of Marc off the line, or at least I gave it a try. If I had managed it, I would have tried to set the pace for the first eight to ten laps. Even while following him, I tried to make a move. I felt I had a bit more in a few sections, but I also ran wide twice while attempting an overtake. By the end of the race, I still had enough tyre left to defend second place. Tomorrow we’ll give it another shot. Thirty laps is a long race.”

Fabio Di Giannantonio – P3

“I am very happy with this Sprint podium. We collected other important points for the Championship. In the final laps, I think I had something more than the rider ahead, but it was too risky to overtake, especially because of the overheating of the front tyre,. It’s very hard to overtake here, so I thought third place was okay. For tomorrow, I feel good with the medium tyre and I have good pace.”

Trackhouse places both Aprilias inside top five

Ogura remained in touch with the leading group for much of the race but lacked the final few tenths required to challenge the three Ducatis. The Japanese rider crossed the line fourth and ended a run of two consecutive Sprint podiums.

Fernandez secured fifth despite riding with considerable back pain after a violent movement from a clutch problem during FP2.

The double top-five result kept Trackhouse second in the Teams’ Championship and continued an impressive run for a squad that had taken victory and second place at Assen.

Martin finished sixth and increased his Championship advantage over the absent Bezzecchi to 11 points.

Di Giannantonio is now third in the standings, only two points behind Bezzecchi and 13 behind Martin.

Bagnaia took seventh after starting tenth, while Acosta eventually found a way past Quartararo to claim eighth. Quartararo held ninth and collected the final Sprint point.

Diogo Moreira progressed from 14th to tenth and was the leading Honda rider, narrowly ahead of Marini.

Miller unable to convert Friday speed

Brad Binder gained three positions to finish 12th, immediately ahead of Miller.

Miller’s fifth place in Friday Practice had suggested Yamaha could challenge much closer to the front, but the Australian qualified 12th before being promoted to 11th by Bezzecchi’s withdrawal.

He made a reasonable launch but became boxed in at Turn One and lost several positions. Once clear of the opening traffic, Miller’s pace was comparable with the riders ahead, but passing opportunities were limited.

Miller finished 13th, three-tenths ahead of Bastianini.

Jack Miller – P13

“The result doesn’t really reflect the pace we had today. I made a good start, but I got boxed in at Turn One and lost a few positions, which made the rest of the Sprint much more difficult because overtaking isn’t easy at this circuit. Once I found my rhythm, I felt competitive and my pace was similar to the group ahead. I’m happier with the feeling on the medium tyre because it gives us a bit more stability, and that’s something we can build on for tomorrow.”

Bastianini gained two places to finish 14th despite continuing to battle understeer, while Mir, Alex Rins, Toprak Razgatlioglu, Cal Crutchlow and Maverick Viñales completed the finishers.

Marquez’s victory was also his record 35th Sprint podium, moving him ahead of Martin and Bagnaia, who each have 34.

A Sunday victory would be Marquez’s tenth MotoGP success at the Sachsenring, equalling Giacomo Agostini’s record at Imatra for the most premier-class wins by one rider at a single circuit.

Sachsenring MotoGP Sprint Race Results

2026 MotoGP Championship Standings

---

Moto2 Qualifying

Ivan Ortola produced a remarkable new Moto2 lap record to claim his maiden intermediate-class pole position at the Sachsenring.

The Spaniard’s 1m21.493 was set on only his second flying lap and remained unbeaten throughout Q2, despite a late challenge from Championship leader Manuel Gonzalez.

Ortola’s time was exactly the same as the lap Valentino Rossi recorded during MotoGP Q2 at the Sachsenring in 2013.

It also lowered Ortola’s own record from Saturday morning by 0.314 seconds and was 0.767 seconds quicker than Izan Guevara’s Friday benchmark.

Lunetta leads four riders through Q1

Luca Lunetta topped Q1 with a 1m22.269 ahead of Sergio Garcia, Jose Antonio Rueda and Alberto Ferrandez.

Only 0.126 seconds covered those four riders, while Ayumu Sasaki missed promotion by 0.031 seconds.

Aron Canet and Celestino Vietti were among the notable riders eliminated in Q1, leaving them 21st and 22nd on the grid respectively.

Garcia progressed in second but did not complete a timed lap in Q2 and will start 18th.

Ortola establishes the target immediately

Ortola wasted no time in Q2, recording his 1m21.493 less than three minutes into the session.

Nobody else led the session.

Guevara moved into contention with a 1m21.671, while Daniel Holgado recorded a 1m21.720 to establish himself on the second row.

Gonzalez left his strongest attack until the closing stages. The Spaniard completed his penultimate lap in 1m21.531 to move within 0.038 seconds of Ortola and displace title rival Guevara from second.

The sector analysis showed how completely Gonzalez had extracted his available performance. His recorded lap was identical to his theoretical ideal time.

Ortola had only another 0.030 seconds available across his four best sectors, underlining the quality of the lap that secured pole.

Holgado arguably left the most significant opportunity unused among the leading riders. His best four sectors added up to a 1m21.569, which would have placed him second, but he qualified fourth after failing to combine them on the same lap.

Guevara’s ideal was a 1m21.589, 0.082 seconds quicker than his completed effort.

Agius secures second-row start

Senna Agius will start fifth after recording a 1m21.848.

The Australian was only 0.001 seconds ahead of Alex Escrig and 0.003 clear of Taiyo Furusato, illustrating the compressed margins behind the leading four.

Agius had his opening attack compromised by a yellow flag and was unable to exploit the fresh rear tyre on his first intended flying lap.

His best individual sectors combined for a 1m21.725, 0.123 seconds quicker than his actual lap, although that would still have left him fifth.

The second-row start places Agius in a strong position for Sunday’s 25-lap race, where rear tyre conservation is expected to play a major role.

Senna Agius – P5

“Our strategy for qualifying was to do our laps on our own, without any issues on track, but there was a yellow flag right away, so I wasn’t able to set a lap time on the first lap.

“The timing was a bit unfortunate, but setting a 1m21s lap here in Germany is fast. Fifth on the grid isn’t a big deal because the race is super long and the early stages definitely won’t decide anything.

“We need to stay calm and focus entirely on tomorrow. I’m full of energy and the work is done, so we’ll go out there and get the best possible result.”

Furusato’s seventh place represented his best Moto2 qualifying result, while Dutch GP winner David Alonso will start alongside him in eighth.

Collin Veijer completed the third row, ahead of Mario Aji, Rueda and Q1 pace-setter Lunetta.

Joe Roberts qualified 13th, while Deniz Öncü, Filip Salac, Tony Arbolino and Ferrandez completed the classified Q2 order.

Manuel Gonzalez – P2

“I’m happy because it was an almost perfect qualifying session for us. We tried a new strategy with three new rear tyres, which really paid off.

“The race is going to be very long, especially when it comes to the rear tyres. Starting from the front row will make things a bit easier.

“In the race, strategy is what matters most, not only speed. We need to stay calm, adjust our riding in certain places and try to conserve the tyres.”

Sachsenring Moto2 Qualifying Times

Moto2 Championship Standings

---

Moto3 Qualifying

Brian Uriarte claimed the first pole position of his Grand Prix career after emerging on top of an extraordinarily close Moto3 qualifying session at the Sachsenring.

Uriarte’s 1m24.880 placed him only 0.024 seconds ahead of Marco Morelli, with Hakim Danish another 0.005 seconds behind.

Just 0.029 seconds covered the entire front row.

Quiles recovers from difficult Friday

Championship leader Maximo Quiles had been forced into Q1 after crashing before setting a time in Friday Practice.

The Spaniard progressed without further drama and immediately placed himself among the leading riders in Q2.

Quiles initially set the benchmark at 1m25.714 before Morelli lowered it to 1m25.230.

Uriarte responded moments later with a 1m25.225, giving the Red Bull KTM Ajo rider a provisional advantage of only 0.005 seconds.

The decisive improvement arrived during Uriarte’s second run. He recorded a 1m24.880 with around five minutes remaining and nobody was able to dislodge him.

Front row separated by thousandths

Morelli had already extracted everything available from his best lap. His theoretical ideal was identical to the 1m24.904 he recorded.

Danish arguably had the strongest unfulfilled pole opportunity. His four best sectors combined for a 1m24.807, only 0.009 seconds slower than Uriarte’s theoretical best and 0.102 seconds quicker than the Malaysian rider’s completed lap.

Uriarte’s own ideal lap was a 1m24.798, 0.082 seconds faster than his pole time.

The pole lap was not built on dominance through one particular section. Uriarte was only tenth fastest in Sector One, third in Sector Two and second in Sector Three, before setting the quickest final sector of the session.

Quiles recovered to qualify fourth, 0.222 seconds from pole, with Alvaro Carpe and Rico Salmela completing the second row.

Matteo Bertelle headed the third row ahead of Jesus Rios and Ryusei Yamanaka.

Buchanan and Kelso line up together

Adrian Fernandez qualified tenth, denying New Zealand’s Cormac Buchanan a place inside the top ten by 0.043 seconds.

Even so, 11th represented Buchanan’s best Grand Prix qualifying performance.

Joel Kelso will start immediately alongside Buchanan in 12th.

The Australian recorded a 1m25.465, leaving him only 0.014 seconds behind Buchanan and 0.585 seconds from pole.

Unlike Friday, when Kelso had been unable to combine his strongest sectors, the Australian extracted almost everything available from his best Q2 lap.

Kelso’s theoretical ideal was a 1m25.456 – only 0.009 seconds faster than the lap he completed – indicating his fourth-row position reflected his outright pace rather than a poorly assembled lap.

Veda Pratama qualified 13th after topping Friday Practice, ahead of Casey O’Gorman, Joel Esteban and Kelso’s GRYD Racing team-mate Eddie O’Shea.

The session featured numerous deleted laps for track-limit infringements, particularly at Turn Seven. Esteban had three laps affected, while Adrian Cruces, Danish, Carpe, Fernandez and Morelli were among those to lose times.

Uriarte’s pole lap remained clean and secure, leaving the rookie at the head of a front row separated by less than three-hundredths of a second.

Sachsenring Moto3 Qualifying Times

Moto3 Championship Standings

---

2026 MotoGP Calendar

---