MotoGP: Bezzecchi overhauled by Marc Marquez on the last lap, Quartararo third in wet Sachsenring Sprint.
Heading wide at Turn 1 saw the #93 forced into a comeback as Bezzecchi just loses out and Quartararo holds off Diggia in Germany.
Was it ever in doubt, you might ask? 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 as Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s lead rider claims a Sprint rostrum for the first time since 2023.
MARC MARQUEZ WIDE, BEZZECCHI LEADS
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, the Italian had compatriot Morbidelli 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) followed the #93 through soon after as the Spaniards now sat P3 and P4.
THE COMEBACK BEGINS
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 we then watched Marquez pass 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 we 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.
SPRINT POINTS SCORERS
The aforementioned Di Giannantonio was P4, 0.3s away from the bronze medal position, as Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP) rounded out the top five on a positive afternoon for Yamaha. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) kept Zarco and Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) behind him, as the latter loses 10 points in the title chase while nursing his hand fracture. The last point went to Acosta, the #37 recovering well after his off.
That’s a wrap on Saturday… but the Grand Prix remains and the weather could change again. Ready for more of the most exciting sport on Earth in Germany? Bis morgen!
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