• The 11th round of the FIM World Championship MotoGP
The circuit saw Marc Márquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) win the Tissot Sprint on Saturday afternoon, as well as the German Grand Prix the following day. Impressive victories achieved on this atypical circuit, which has ten left-hand corners but only three right-hand ones.
• This intense Grand Prix weekend, which constantly put tires under stress, has once again demonstrated the long-term performance of MICHELIN Power tires for MotoGP.
• Marc Márquez sets a new absolute record at the Sachsenring by taking pole position in 1'19.041. The total time of the Tissot Sprint has, meanwhile, been improved by almost six seconds.
The unique characteristics of the Sachsenring were once again mastered thanks to the performance and consistency of the MICHELIN Power Slick tires. Normally used sparingly throughout the year, the track gradually gained grip as the motorcycles ran, allowing riders and teams to fine-tune their setups and tire choices from the very first day. This is how the benchmark time was approached little by little, until Marc Márquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) set the perfect lap and secured pole position, a time that became the new circuit benchmark.
Located in Hohenstein-Ernstthal, Saxony, the Sachsenring once again subjected the tires to particularly high stresses. At just 3,671 km, with 13 corners, ten of which are left-handers, and a terrain marked by numerous elevation changes, the shortest circuit in the championship offers virtually no respite for the tires. Constantly under stress, they have only a straight of barely 700 meters to momentarily reduce the forces they must endure.
The weather conditions were more stable than last year, when rain made an unwelcome appearance on Saturday, while the heat returned for the Grand Prix. It was therefore in an atmosphere conducive to finding the right setup that Michelin's partners were able to test all the combinations of the three MICHELIN Power Slick specifications offered for the front wheel, and two for the rear.
In the Tissot Sprint (27°C air temperature, 42°C track temperature), taking advantage of good feel and consistent performance, all the riders chose the Hard tire for the front, while the Soft compound was almost unanimously preferred. In the Grand Prix, the Hard tire remained the favorite for everyone, while Michelin's partners wisely opted for the Medium tire for the rear (44°C track temperature at the start), renowned for its consistent performance over time.
Piero TaramassoMichelin Motorsport's two-wheeled competition manager: « Mission accomplished! Once again, this unique circuit confirmed its status as one of the most demanding tracks of the season for tires. But we brought the right tires for the occasion, allowing our partners to push with confidence. The performance was there, the consistency too, and the track record was broken. The Tissot Sprint lap time was improved by nearly six seconds, which is considerable for a run of just over 20 minutes. The most spectacular section remains Turn 11, a long right-hander considered by all the drivers to be a particularly tricky moment after a series of seven left-hand corners. In this critical phase, our asymmetric tires provided the necessary level of confidence to allow the drivers to push the limits and fully express their performance. We were on point throughout the weekend, as evidenced by the lap times, and we leave the Sachsenring with great satisfaction and two new records.
For the Liqui Moly Grand Prix of Germany, Michelin provided its partners with three specifications of asymmetric MICHELIN Power Slick tires (Soft, Medium, Hard) for the front wheel, and two (Soft, Medium) also asymmetric for the rear. This package allowed them to cover all track conditions and respond to all temperature variations.
On Saturday, the Tissot Sprint was won by Marc Márquez (Ducati Lenovo Team), ahead of his brother Alex Márquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP Team) and Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team).
On Sunday for the Grand Prix, Marc Márquez once again emerged victorious, ahead of Ai Ogura (SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team), and his teammate Raúl Fernández.
The new records at the Sachsenring
Starting from an impressive pole position, Marc Márquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) improved upon Fabio Di Giannantonio's (Pertamina Enduro VR46) time. The Spanish rider set a perfect lap of 1'19.041, which becomes the absolute MotoGP circuit record.
The Tissot Sprint time, whose reference figure dates from 2024 after the rain of 2025, has been improved by almost six seconds: 20'12.978, compared to 20'18.904 two years earlier.
Pedro Acosta and Francesco Bagnaia are still the fastest riders at the Sachsenring (306,8 km/h) but they were equaled by Ai Ogura (SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team) during the Tissot Sprint.
See you in four weeks
The MotoGP World Championship begins its summer break. The next race will take place from August 7th to 9th at the Silverstone circuit (England). It will be the Qatar Airways British Grand Prix.
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