“Pecco Bagnaia claims pole position at MotoGP German Grand Prix as Marc Marquez endures three crashes”
Bagnaia Claims Pole Position in Dramatic German GP Qualifying
In a dramatic turn of events, Francesco Bagnaia claimed pole position at the Sachsenring for the MotoGP German Grand Prix. The Italian rider edged out his competitors by 0.078 seconds on a drying track, which had been wet earlier due to rain.
The Marquez Dilemma Continues
It was another disappointing day for Marc Marquez as he crashed twice during qualifying. In Q1, he fell off his bike but managed to qualify for Q2 along with KTM’s Brad Binder by using slicks on a damp track.
However, things got worse when he crashed again in Q2 while trying to avoid Jack Miller of KTM at Turn 13. Despite rejoining the session and having his bike repaired, Marquez fell once more at Turn 1 during his final flying lap and finished seventh – his worst qualifying performance yet at the German GP.
A Shifting Pole Position Battle
The rapidly improving track conditions made it difficult for riders as they fought over pole position throughout Q2. Johann Zarco set an early pace with a lap time of 1m24.431s before being overtaken by Bagnaia who posted a lap time of 1m24.785s.
Riders such as Luca Marini, Jorge Martin and Jack Miller also took turns leading the session until chaos ensued after two crashes towards the end of qualifying.
Cancellations Galore!
Zarco crashed first at Turn 11 followed by Marquez at Turn 1. This brought yellow flags out in several sectors and caused havoc as a number of riders had their laps cancelled.
Marco Bezzecchi thought he had gone top with a lap time of 1m21.363s on his final lap, but it was scrubbed for setting it under yellow flags. Ultimately, Bagnaia avoided the chaos and claimed pole position with a lap time of 1m21.409s.
The Top Twelve
Bagnaia took first place while Luca Marini finished second, just behind him by 0.078s. Jack Miller completed the top three while Zarco held onto fourth despite his crash.
Bezzecchi and Martin completed row two after being caught out by the yellow flags during qualifying.
Marquez’s miserable day ended with him finishing seventh ahead of his Gresini Ducati-mounted brother Alex Marquez who came in eighth place.
Binder finished ninth while Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro slid down to tenth place having briefly held a front-row placement earlier in qualifying.
Enea Bastianini on the factory Ducati and Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo rounded off the top twelve finishers at Sachsenring for this year’s MotoGP German Grand Prix Qualifying session