Moto3 Germany FP1: McPhee in the lead and Lorenzo Fellon in the leading group

Moto3 arrives in its German Grand Prix with still the young prodigy Pedro Acosta as champion of the championship. Only the lead of the one who is also a rookie disappeared at the end of the last meeting in Catalonia which marked his second worst result since Le Mans. Seventh, he saw Sergio Garcia win his second victory of the year, which allows him to get closer to 39 points…

Peter Acosta started the season with four podiums, including three victories, in the first four races. These figures stopped and, during the last rounds, it was another Spaniard who stood out: Sergio Garcia, winner in France and Catalonia. However, the 39 points ahead of Sergio Garcia constitute the largest gap after the first seven races of a Moto3 season since 2017, when Joan mir led with 133 points on Roman Fenati which then numbered 88.

The eight Moto3 races contested at Sachsenring were won by eight drivers: Sandro Cortese, Alex Rins, Jack Miller, Danny Kent, Khairul Idham Pawi, Joan Mir, Jorge Martin and Lorenzo Dalla Porta. Only three of them have not been won from pole: Khairul Idham Pawi (2016), Joan Mir (2017) and Lorenzo Dalla Porta (2019).

Finally, the last five Moto3 races held at the Sachsenring have been won by Honda, while the first three have been taken by KTM riders.

What will this first free practice session have in store for us which opens the hostilities of this German Grand Prix for a Moto3 otherwise in the crosshairs because of his morals in the peloton? Before answering this question, here is the table which summarizes the facts known so far.

Sachsenring Moto3™	2019	2021
FP1	1'26.591 Raul Fernández	1'26.739 John McPhee
FP2	1'26.526 Ayumu Sasaki
FP3	1'26.044 Marcos Ramirez
Q1	1'26.396 Ai Ogura
Q2	1'26.135 Ayumu Sasaki
Warm Up	1'34.943 Tony Arbolino
Course	Dalla Porta, Ramirez, Canet
All time lap record	1'26.044 Marcos Ramirez (2019)

The drivers have not yet reached the track when, already, we learn of a choice package. Sasaki, in the top 5 of the championship, was indeed declared unfit. Like what, his accident in Catalonia was nothing trivial...

26.1° in the air and a little over 32° on the track under a beautiful sun are the conditions offered to the pilots for the 40 minutes of exercise.

The first reference of choice is signed by Tatsuki Suzuki in 1'28.089 ahead Migno, Rodrigo, farmhouse et McPhee. We note the presence of Lorenzo Fellon among the best since here is the Frenchman sixth in 1'28.744.

We note the arrival of a new face for this Grand Prix…

Suzuki improves in 1'28.061, ahead Rodrigo, Foggia, Migno et Artigas. Acosta is 17th, Garcia 13th. We note the presence of four Hondas in the top 5. The Japanese firm thus confirms its good statistics on this Sachsenring track from mid-FP1 session.

The last five minutes are approaching and this is the moment chosen by Guevara to place his GASGAS in the top 3.

Oncü reacts at the end of the game by slamming a 1'27.818 in front Migno. The hunt for the clock is on… Suzuki shows it with his 1'26.852. Acosta climbs back to fifth and he is the first non-Honda driver at the top of the hierarchy. He even accelerates to position himself second.

But under the checkered flag, McPhee takes the lead in 1'26.739 ahead of Suzuki, Rodrigo, Nepa et Acosta. Foggia leads the rest of the pack. Lorenzo Fellon is 14th and therefore virtually in Q2…

FP1 standings of the German Moto3 Grand Prix at Sachsenring:

Classification credit: MotoGP.com