MotoGP
Published on June 18, 2021 • 09:50 by Marc Sériau

MotoGP Germany FP1 LIVE: Marc Marquez is back "home"! So is Honda!

From the statistics concerning the Sachsenring circuit, a particularly restful fact emerges: since 2010, Marc Márquez has won all the races in which he has participated, starting from pole position!

So even if the Spaniard's first two attempts on the 125cc KTM in 2008 and 2009 were more laborious, it remains indisputable that the German circuit suits the Honda rider's riding style particularly well.

Turning counterclockwise and offering a spectacular sequence of 7 left turns, the favorite side of Marc Marquez, the Germanic route allowed the number 93 to string together 10 consecutive victories and to be the latest winner, the German Grand Prix having been canceled last year due to a health crisis.

Will it be the same this year after Sunday's 30-lap race, even if the Spanish champion's comeback has so far proven more difficult than expected? This is one of the questions that this 82nd edition of the flagship German event, the 23rd on the Sachsenring, will answer.

The others will concern the duel of the two French people. fabio quartararo et Johann zarco for the command of the championship, the renewed form of the KTMs and Miguel Oliveira, the return to the track ofalex rins, the difficult journey of Valentino Rossi before his decision on his future or the wear of the slick tires, all asymmetrical.

While waiting for the first answers, the weather also remains a question mark, with strong heat expected which could cause storms on Saturday and/or Sunday.

This morning, temperatures are already 29° in the air and 35° on the asphalt but still remain within the norm under a beautiful blue sky, which will undoubtedly make this first 45-minute session faster than that of the 'afternoon.

As the 22 pilots prepare under the lenses of Dorna's cameras, which allows us to see some new features, here are the past references:

Sachsenring MotoGP™

 2019

2021
FP1

1'21.390 Fabio Quartararo (See here)

 1'21.660 Marc Marquez (See here)
FP2

1'20.705 Marc Márquez (See here)
FP3

1'20.347 Marc Márquez (See here)
FP4

1'21.153 Maverick Viñales (See here)
Q1 1'20.933 Valentino Rossi (See here)
Q2

1'20.195 Marc Márquez (See here)
Warm Up

1'23.116 Marc Márquez (See here)
Course

Marquez, Vinales, Crutchlow (See here)
All time lap record

1'20.195 Marc Márquez (2019)

When the red lights go out... Franco Morbidelli continues the tradition by setting off first on the track while Maverick Vinales rushes last, just behind fabio quartararo.

In terms of tires, all the rears are out while the fronts are divided between medium and soft.

From the second round launched, Marc Márquez takes command in 1'22.348 then improves to 1'21.660 on the next pass, relegating Alex Espargaro more than 8/10.

George Martin minor fall at turn #12, followed by Espargaro Pol a few seconds later at turn #3. Both pilots were unhurt and got up straight away.

After 10 minutes, Johann zarco et fabio quartararo exchange second place to reduce the gap to half a second with Marc Marquez.

Takaaki Nakagami takes his Honda to second position when fabio quartararo makes a mistake at high speed in the penultimate corner. The French pilot touches his shoulder but appears safe and sound.

At the end of this first run, we therefore find Marc Marquez 3/10 ahead Takaaki Nakagami, itself 2/10 ahead Fabio Quartararo, Johann Zarco, Maverick Vinales, Aleix Espargaro, Alex Marquez, Miguel Oliveira, Francesco Bagnaia, Iker Lecuona, Alex Rins, Joan Mir, Jack Miller, Danilo Petrucci, Franco Morbidelli, Brad Binder, Enea Bastianini, Pol Espargaro, Valentino Rossi , Jorge Martin, Luca Marini and Lorenzo Savadori.

In addition to its vintage helmet decoration, Marc Marquez has an aerodynamic evolution on its Honda, with fins inspired by those of the Yamaha.

On resumption, Jack Miller positions himself third before conceding this position to a Pol Espargaro which thus completes a Honda trio at the top of the provisional classification.

Maverick Vinales also improves and positions itself sixth while fabio quartararo reassures his fans by progressing to fourth position aboard his second M1. The Devil continues his effort and takes second position at 25/100 Marc Marquez.

At the start of the last quarter of an hour, the gap between the Spaniard and the Frenchman was only 16/100 when the drivers returned to the box to prepare for the final rush.

A few moments later, we see that no one is using soft rear tires for this last run, while the track temperature now exceeds 40°.

Under the eye of Gigi Dall'Igna, Jack Miller is surprisingly very fast in the first two sectors, the most tortuous, before losing time in the third and fourth.

Three minutes from the checkered flag, Alex Espargaro however, overtakes the Australian driver in the provisional ranking of the session while after his teammate, alex rins also enters the top 10, thus ousting Johann zarco.

At the last minute, the Pramac Racing driver re-enters this provisional pre-qualification for Q2, benefiting, once again, from the spotlight of fabio quartararo. Not sure that this won't end up annoying The Devil who is warned of the maneuver by his box…

Marc Marquez, Fabio Quartararo, Takaaki Nakagami, Pol Espargaro, Aleix Espargaro, Jack Miller, Alex Rins, Johann Zarco, Joan Mir and Maverick Vinales are currently pre-qualified for Q2.

See you at 14:10 p.m. for FP2!

Standings for FP1 of the MotoGP German Grand Prix at Sachsenring:

Classification credit: MotoGP.com