MotoGP Round 11 | Magnificent Marquez reigns supreme in Germany | The #93’s Marc Marquez’s amazing 2025 MotoGP charge rolled on with a ninth Sachsenring MotoGP win as Alex Marquez and Bagnaia pocketed podiums. Report: MotoGP/Ed Stratmann
Friday Practice and Saturday Qualifying
MotoGP
Would Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team #93) be fastest at the Sachsenring on Friday? The answer was no. That accolade went the way of Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team #49) after the Italian clocked an outstanding new all-time lap record to lead the MotoGP field by a whopping three tenths. That 1:19.071 was a belter, and the closest challenger to it was Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP #73), despite the #73 nursing a left-hand fracture – a phenomenal effort from the Spaniard, as Marc Marquez was forced to settle for P3 in Practice.
The wet weather had come to play on Saturday at the Liqui Moly Grand Prix of Germany, but that didn’t stop Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) from clinching pole position. It was a tight affair, though, as Q1 graduate Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR #5) pushed the #93 to the wire in a Saturday morning scrap that saw Marquez win by just 0.151s. That meant it was Ducati leading Honda on the front row at the Sachsenring, with Aprilia Racing also there after Marco Bezzecchi’s (Aprilia Racing #72) fine rain dance in Q2.
Moto2
The sun continued to beat down for Moto2 at the Sachsenring, and leaving it late, Celestino Vietti (Folladore SpeedRS Team #13) put Boscoscuro on top on Friday in Germany. The Italian set the lap time in the closing minutes, rocketing up the order and disrupting the Kalex party at the front. Elsewhere, there were headlining names who found themselves mired down the field and will have the added pressure of graduating from Q1 on Saturday.
Vietti’s 1’22.329 was enough to beat Senna Agius (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP #81) by 0.130s; improving in the final seven minutes and with a new contract in his back pocket for 2026, Agius was in good form and went top provisionally, in the end finishing in P2 ahead of his Championship-leading teammate Manuel Gonzalez, who was 0.147s further adrift and not fully at one with his Kalex.
Jake Dixon (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team #96) was back on top in Moto2™ as the Brit took a stunning wet weather pole position at the Liqui Moly Grand Prix of Germany. He denied fellow Q1 graduate Barry Baltus (Fantic Racing Lino Sonego #7), with Tony Arbolino (BLUCRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2 #14) completing the front row as all three took the fight to the wire. Championship leader Manuel Gonzalez (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP #18) had a tougher time of it and would start down in P16.
Moto3
A 1:24.767, a new Moto3 lap record around the Sachsenring, gave David Muñoz (#64) top spot as the Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP team enjoyed a great start to their home Grand Prix in Germany. David Almansa (Leopard Racing #22) headed into Saturday in P2, 0.360s away from Muñoz’s blistering time, as FP1 table topper Scott Ogden (CIP Green Power #19) sailed into qualifying day as the third fastest rider.
Scott Ogden (CIP Green Power) pipped David Almansa (Leopard Racing) and Guido Pini (LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP #94) to a very wet pole position at the Liqui Moly Grand Prix of Germany, with the Brit shining in the rain to secure that impressive career-first pole. Down in P12, Championship leader Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo #99) found the wet weather tricky on Saturday.
Saturday
Tissot Sprint
Was it ever in doubt? Well, for 14 and a half of the 15 laps, it absolutely was. However, in the end, Marc Marquez’s (Ducati Lenovo Team) final lap pass on Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) saw the championship leader pocket another gold medal in a blistering wet weather Liqui Moly Grand Prix of Germany Tissot Sprint. And joining the Ducati and Aprilia stars on the podium was Fabio Quartararo (#20) as Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s lead rider claimed a Sprint rostrum for the first time since 2023.
Marc Marquez got a phenomenal launch from pole, but he was wide at Turn 1. That cost the polesitter a handful of positions as he dropped to P5 initially, before that was then P6 as Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) carved his way through at Turn 8.
Meanwhile, your Sprint leader was Bezzecchi, but the Italian had compatriot Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina VR46 Ducati #21) 0.6s behind him, as Quartararo enjoyed his opening two laps – the Frenchman was up to P3 from seventh on the grid. However, his countryman was going the opposite way. Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR) dropped to P10; was the medium rear wet Michelin tyre choice a factor? Zarco was an outlier in selecting.
Morbidelli was then down at Turn 8 on Lap 3, and it was a fast one. That promoted Quartararo to P2, and on the next two laps, El Diablo was the quickest rider on track. The gap between Bezzecchi and Quartararo was 1.5s on Lap 5 of 15, as Marc Marquez made a move on Di Giannantonio stick – and Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing #37) followed the #93 through soon after as the Spaniards now sat P3 and P4.
Once he got through on Di Giannantonio, Marc Marquez was now the quickest rider on track. The gap to Bezzecchi was 2.4s, and the gap to Quartararo was 1.2s at the start of Lap 7.
Acosta’s podium hopes ended on Lap 8 after he ran into the gravel at Turn 8, as Marquez passed Quartararo for P2 at Turn 1 at the beginning of Lap 9. At this stage, Bezzecchi had 1.6s in hand. That dropped to 1.3s at the start of Lap 10, but Bezzecchi was responding well to the championship leader’s charge.
0.5s was shaved off Bezzecchi’s lead by Marquez, though, as they entered the final four laps, and the gap was now down to under a second. Big pressure was building on the shoulders of Bezzecchi, and with three to go, there was only 0.5s between the top two.
Two to go. Now, there was nothing in it. Marquez was right on the tailpipes of the Aprilia star, as the fans were strapped in for a gold medal battle to the chequered flag.
Last lap time. Marquez made a move at Turn 1 that looked like it wouldn’t stick, but he hung it around the outside and earned the inside line for Turn 2 to pinch P1 from Bezzecchi. Could the latter respond? For the battle, Bezzecchi and Aprilia, unfortunately not.
Marquez was too strong through the left-handers, and it was the #93 who clinched victory ahead of the impressive Bezzecchi and Quartararo, who did enough to narrowly hold off Di Giannantonio in the latter stages to pick up his first Sprint podium since the 2023 Dutch GP. The #93 now has the most Sprint wins taken in a season, outdoing Jorge Martin’s 2023 total of nine.
The aforementioned Di Giannantonio was P4, 0.3s away from the bronze medal position, as Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP #43) rounded out the top five on a positive afternoon for Yamaha.
“Just at the beginning of the race I was struggling; I made a mistake on turn one at the start, and I lost some positions. But then, step by step, I got the rhythm like in the practice sessions. I’m happy, because again we take the 12 points from the sprint.”
Tissot Sprint Race Results
- Marc Marquez Ducati Lenovo
- Marco Bezzecchi Aprilia Racing (+0.938s)
- Fabio Quartararo Monster Yamaha (+4.361s)
- Fabio Di Giannantonio Pertamina VR46 Ducati (+4.683s)
- Jack Miller Pramac Yamaha (+9.405s)
Sunday
MotoGP
On his 200th start, Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) moved into second place on the MotoGP victory tally charts – surpassing legend Giacomo Agostini – in a display of perfection at the Liqui Moly Grand Prix of Germany. It’s 69 wins now for the King of the Sachsenring, as Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP), on his 100th start, strung together an impressive ride to finish P2 while injured. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team #63) bounced back with a podium finish in P3 in a battle that saw rostrum contenders crash out at the Sachsenring.
While the threat of wet weather was there, the riders and fans ultimately strapped themselves in for a dry German GP. And as the lights went out, it was Marc Marquez who collected the holeshot, as Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) made a blinder from P6 to grab an early P3. Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) slotted into P2, as Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR) slipped to P5 on the opening lap from the middle of the front row.
Di Giannantonio and Bezzecchi exchanged P2 on the opening lap before the former made a move stick at Turn 12, as Alex Marquez and Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) engaged battle mode too. Marc Marquez, meanwhile, was blissfully unaware of the fight unfolding behind him as he stretched his advantage to 0.7s at the end of Lap 3.
Acosta’s Grand Prix then ended with a crash at Turn 2 from P5, so that was KTM’s main hope of the Sachsenring podium gone. That promoted Bagnaia to P5, with Alex Marquez swarming all over the tailpipes of Bezzecchi for P3. 0.6s up the road in P2, Di Giannantonio was losing around a tenth a lap to Marc Marquez at this stage of the Grand Prix.
It was more than that for the next few laps, though. The #93 was the only rider capable of lapping in the 1:20s on a consistent basis; he hadn’t dropped into the 1:21 bracket, and the gap on Lap 8 of 30 was up to 1.7s. And by Lap 16, just over half race distance, Marc Marquez’s lead was north of three seconds.
Di Giannantonio was under a second ahead of Bezzecchi, with Alex Marquez and then Bagnaia all operating at equal distance behind each other. But then, we lost our second-place rider from the Grand Prix. Di Giannantonio tucked the front at Turn 1 on Lap 18, and Zarco was out of the race at the same corner – albeit a little further around – as two of the top six had premature ends to their German GPs.
That meant Alex Marquez was lifted to a podium position in P3, and the rider second in the championship chase had 1.2s to play with to Pecco in P4. But then, Turn 1 caught out our P2 rider again. Bezzecchi’s impressive race was over in a similar fashion to Di Giannantonio, so that meant it was Marc Marquez leading Alex Marquez by 5.9s, with Bagnaia now P3.
Turn 1 was really proving tricky. In the fight for the top 10, Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP Team #79) took out the luckless Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol #36), and while the yellow flags were waving, Lorenzo Savadori (Aprilia Racing #32) chucked it down the road at Turn 1 too.
In terms of the victory and podium fight, there was nothing much to report. Marc Marquez cruised to a ninth MotoGP victory at the Sachsenring, with Alex Marquez limiting the points damage with a brilliant ride to P2 while nursing his fractured left hand, as Pecco salvaged a solid P3 after a Saturday to forget.
In the fight for P4, Quartararo fended off Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP #54) as the Frenchman and Spaniard claimed P4 and P5 in Germany. The returning Luca Marini (Honda HRC Castrol #10) earned his best HRC result in P6 in what was a fantastic fight between the Italian, seventh place Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing #33) and eighth place Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP).
“One more [win at the Sachsenring] was super special. From the beginning, I felt good; the confidence when I started the weekend was super high because we were coming from three victories in a row,” Marquez said. “We are in an incredible moment. Now we can say that half the season is done, [but] we still need to be super concentrated.”
MotoGP Race Results
- Marc Marquez Ducati Lenovo
- Alex Marquez BK8 Gresini Ducati (+6.380s)
- Francesco Bagnaia Ducati Lenovo (+7.080s)
- Fabio Quartararo Monster Yamaha (+18.738s)
- Fermin Aldeguer BK8 Gresini Ducati (+18.916s)
Check out the full MotoGP race results here…
MotoGP Championship Points
- Marc Marquez BK8 Gresini Ducati – 344
- Alex Marquez Ducati Lenovo – 261
- Francesco Bagnaia Ducati Lenovo – 197
- Fabio Di Giannantonio Pertamina Enduro VR46 Team LCR – 142
- Franco Morbidelli Pertamina VR46 Ducati – 139
Moto2
Talking points aplenty surfaced from a dramatic Moto2 Liqui Moly Grand Prix of Germany, and one of them was Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo #53) becoming a winner for the second time in 2025 after the Turkish star fended off Barry Baltus (Fantic Racing Lino Sonego) before the red flags brought a premature end to the race. Jake Dixon (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) crossed the line in P3 to bag his 19th podium, with the British rider involved in a couple of talking points through no fault of his own.
As dark clouds loomed, the Moto2 Grand Prix fired off in dramatic fashion as fourth on the grid Senna Agius (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) jumped the start, and then there was contact between the Australian and polesitter Dixon, which cost the Brit plenty of places. Dixon was down to P6 on the opening lap, with Tony Arbolino (BLUCRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2) leading the way from Öncü and Baltus.
Further back, Diogo Moreira (Italtrans Racing Team #10) was enjoying a storming start. The Brazilian was up to P10 on Lap 4 from P25 on the grid, with Aron Canet (Fantic Racing Lino Sonego #44) P9 and title chase leader Manuel Gonzalez (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) P13.
That was soon P8 as Moreira continued to carve his way through the pack like a hot knife through butter. At the end of Lap 6, the #10 was P7. That became P6 on the next lap, but that was because Arbolino crashed from P2 down at T12, which meant Dixon was promoted to P3.
On Lap 12 of 25, Moreira passed Albert Arenas (ITALJET Gresini Moto2 #75) to climb into P4, and he now had Dixon 0.7s ahead – in other words, a podium position. And that podium fight was beginning to bunch up before drama unfolded.
Moreira was trying to overtake Dixon at Turn 3 on Lap 16, but he was too impatient. There wasn’t really much of a gap there, and having made contact with the rear wheel of Dixon, Moreira was off track. Then, coming back onto the circuit, Moriera was on the racing line, and it left the helpless David Alonso (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team #80) with nowhere to go. The Colombian collided with the Brazilian as both riders crashed out at Turn 4, but thankfully both were at least back up on their feet and able to walk away from the crash. A fantastic comeback ride from Moriera ended in controversy.
That left Öncü and Baltus as the duo fighting for the victory, 1.1s up the road from Arenas, Dixon and Marcos Ramirez (OnlyFans American Racing Team #24). And in that battle, more drama. Ramirez, out of control into Turn 1 at the start of Lap 21, slammed into Arenas. The two Spaniards were out of the Grand Prix, and because of that incident, the red flags were shown because of the Turn 1 air fence needing to be redeployed.
And that meant Öncü, who led over the line on the previous full lap ahead of Baltus, clinched his second Moto2 win, with Dixon passing Arenas a lap earlier to return to the podium.
Gonzalez salvaged a very important P4 to extend his championship lead, with Celestino Vietti (Folladore SpeedRS Team) rounding out the top five.
Moto2 Race Results
- Deniz Oncu Red Bull KTM Ajo
- Barry Baltus Fantic Racing LINO SONEGO (+0.129s)
- Jake Dixon Elf Marc VDS Racing (+1.131s)
- Manuel Gonzalez Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP (+2.916s)
- Celestino Vietti Folladore SpeedRS (+3.067s)
Moto2 Championship Points
- Manuel Gonzalez Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP – 172
- Aron Canet Fantic Racing LINO SONEGO – 163
- Diogo Moreira Italtrans Racing Team – 128
- Jake Dixon Elf Marc VDS Racing – 114
- Barry Baltus Fantic Racing LINO SONEGO – 114
Moto3
David Muñoz (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) was the one who came out on top to deliver his team a home win at the Sachsenring, beating Championship leader Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) at the last corner, whilst Maximo Quiles (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team #28) also got ahead of the #99 in a last corner shootout to remember.
Grabbing the holeshot from pole, polesitter Scott Ogden (CIP Green Power) avoided drama behind him, as Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo #83) pushed and shoved his way through into P3, slotting in behind a fast-starting Muñoz. Carpe’s ambitious opening corner pushed David Almansa (Leopard Racing) out wide – Carpe getting a Long Lap Penalty. At the front at Turn 12, Muñoz led. With the Grand Prix settling down, Maximo Quiles moved into P3, whilst Angel Piqueras (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI #36), Cormac Buchanan (DENSSI Racing – BOE #14) and Guido Pini (LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP) all joined the huge fight at the front.
On Lap 4, the race came to an end for Eddie O’Shea (GRYD MLav Racing #8) and Leonardo Abruzzo (DENSSI Racing – BOE #25) in separate incidents on Lap 6. Nicola Carraro (Rivacold Snipers Team #10) also fell and rejoined at Turn 1. A lead group of 15 riders chopped and changed, and one of the highlights was Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia #72), donning his Sunday best and coming into the podium places from 17th on Lap 8. On Lap 9, contact at Turn 2 between Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing #31) and Rueda took off Fernandez’s mudguard. Then, at Turn 3, the #31 crashed out. Teammate Almansa fell on Lap 16 at Turn 13 as Rueda led the way.
As the final third of the race kicked off, it was without Almansa, who fell at Turn 13 trying to fight his way back into contention. At the start of Lap 20, Turn 1 caught out more riders – Yamanaka went into the gravel, and behind, Ogden fell out of contention. Rueda led into the last two laps, but with Muñoz and Quiles behind, attacks were imminent. Muñoz got his elbows out on the #99 and led at Turn 1, and with a gap behind, it was all about the top two. Rueda hit the front again at Turn 8, but it wasn’t done.
Furusato was back in the mix until he crashed with two corners to go. But at the front, Muñoz lunged up the inside in a final corner shootout. He managed to get the job done over Rueda, who was pushed wide, bringing Quiles into P2. Muñoz took a second career victory to deliver the goods for the home team with Quiles behind, as Championship leader Rueda extended his advantage in P3 to 73. Piqueras came back through to P4 to retake second in the standings ahead of Carpe, who recovered to fifth.
Joel Kelso (LEVELUP-MTA #66) ghosted his way into the top six ahead of Pini, who equalled his best-ever result. Jacob Roulstone (Red Bull KTM Tech 3 #12) and Buchanan took eighth and ninth, highlighting a strong day for riders from Oceania – Australia in P6 and P8 and New Zealand in P9.
Moto3 Race Results
- David Munoz Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP
- Maximo Qulies CFMOTO Valresa Aspar Team (+0.241s)
- Jose Antonio Rueda Red Bull KTM Ajo (+0.250s)
- Angel Piqueras FRINSA -MT Helmets – MSI (+0.298s)
- Alvaro Carpe Red Bull KTM Ajo (+0.335s)
Moto3 Championship Points
- Jose Antonio Rueda Red Bull KTM Ajo – 203
- Angel Piqueras FRINSA – MT Helmets – 130
- Alvaro Carpe Red Bull KTM Ajo – 129
- Joel Kelso LEVELUP – MTA – 110
- David Munoz Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP – 107
How Did the Aussies Do?
Jack Miller delivered his strongest Sprint Race of the season by finishing fifth after an impressive recovery. He launched well off the line but hit a tear-off while shifting into second gear, thus causing the rear tyre to slip, which subsequently dropped him to 11th in the opening corners. Undeterred, Miller fought back, carving through the field to secure a solid top-five placing.
In Sunday’s main race, despite battling tyre issues over the final eight laps, Miller put in a determined ride to bank eighth to secure points in both races.
Starting the weekend with tremendous pace, Senna Agius posted a 1’33.588 to briefly hold provisional pole. However, a dramatic late-session crash — thankfully without injury — saw him slip off the front row to ultimately qualify fourth.
After serving two long-lap penalties, the Aussie flyer produced a remarkable comeback from 23rd on the grid. By the time the race was red-flagged on lap 20, he had climbed to 11th, which served as a testament to his mental strength, racecraft and determination.
Joel Kelso showed great fighting spirit in the Moto3 race in Germany, gritting his teeth through pain following a massive crash on Saturday that left him in need of thorough medical attention. Although the pain was manageable early on, it definitely made itself felt in the latter stages of the race, thus meaning the best he could manage was a valiant sixth, which was extremely impressive under the circumstances.
Despite qualifying 19th, Sunday was a much better day for Jacob Rouslstone, who finished P8 — just 0.8 seconds off the win — to mark his best result of the season so far. Although he faced rear tyre difficulties in the closing stages, he managed the issue effectively, drawing on his flat track experience. Gaining a massive confidence boost from this result, expect him to keep making strides as the season heads to Brno.
SW-Motech Superbike race two
