MotoGP: Di Giannantonio and Alex Marquez dethrone Marc Marquez on Friday.
The VR46 Italian sets a new Sachsenring lap record to lead the championship top two on Day 1, as Yamaha and KTM pocket top five Practice results.
Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) fastest at the Sachsenring? Not today. That accolade went the way of Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) 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) despite the #73 nursing his left hand fracture, a phenomenal effort from the Spaniard, as Marc Marquez is forced to settle for P3 in Practice.
A SLICE OF EARLY DRAMA FOR BEZ
Less than 10 minutes into Practice, Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) suffered a tip-off at the final corner to get his session off to a far from ideal start. Meanwhile, it was Marc Marquez sitting at the summit after the first 20 minutes, the #93 was 0.191s clear of second place Di Giannantonio.
THE FIGHT FOR Q2
The top two stayed the same as we approached the final 20 minutes, with Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) provisional P3 ahead of Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) and Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol). However, we were yet to see a flurry of soft tyre time attacks come in, so we strapped ourselves in for a busy end to Friday. The usual state of play for a MotoGP Friday afternoon.
There was a small crash for Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) at Turn 1 and shortly after, Marc Marquez ran on at the same part of the circuit briefly after enduring a big moment coming up the hill at Turn 10. An eventful end to a seamless middle stint in Practice for the championship leader.
With 13 minutes to go, Acosta set a 1:19.843 to go 0.031s behind Marc Marquez, as Miguel Oliveira (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) climbed to P5. A lap later, Acosta improved again and this time, it was good enough to knock Marc Marquez off top spot – a 1:19.772 was now the benchmark.
Acosta and KTM’s time at the top didn’t last very long though. Marc Marquez, with fresh rear Michelin soft rubber, sailed back to P1 to lead Di Giannantonio and Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP). Marc Marquez and Di Giannantonio went quicker again on their second efforts, the gap between the leading duo was 0.128s with nine minutes left.
When he needed it, walking wounded Alex Marquez fired in a 1:19.649 to slot himself into the top three. That was a cracking effort, and surely that was enough to book his place into the top 10?
P3 was then Bezzecchi’s as the Italian responded to his early crash in fine style, but then another Italian was third quickest as Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) rose up the order. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) was on a flyer though and soon enough, the Dutch GP polesitter was P2, 0.063s away from Marc Marquez, as Acosta then rejoined the top three party with three minutes to go.
Before the close of play, we had two more changes. First, Alex Marquez beat his brother and title rival, but then Di Giannantonio cooked up that phenomenal, table-topping time to head into Saturday as the rider to beat – and by some distance too. What a session for the Italian, and it’s was equally impressive stuff by Alex Marquez to earn P2 following his injury woes in Assen.
THE AUTOMATIC Q2 CONTENDERS
Quartararo ended Friday in P4 ahead of Acosta and Yamaha and KTM stick their noses inside the top five in Germany. Morbidelli was sixth quickest ahead of Bezzecchi and Miller, the Aussie making sure two YZR-M1s are into Q2, as Bagnaia holds onto a top 10 place in P9 ahead of Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing).
COMING UP: QUALI AND THE TISSOT SPRINT
So it’s Di Giannantonio who acts as the rider to beat so far in Germany, but we’re expecting the weather to now play a leading role in proceedings. You don’t want to miss any of Saturday’s action at the Sachsenring.
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