This German Grand Prix was not favorable to our two Frenchmen Fabio Quartararo and Johann Zarco, and a month to recharge their batteries between now and the Brno race which will take place on August 4 will certainly be welcome. Marc Márquez was equal to himself on the Sachsenring, once again completely dominating his subject. Others had a little more difficulty, and we hope to find them in great shape in a little less than a month in the Czech Republic. Here is how Régis Laconi experienced this Grand Prix at the Sachsenring.
Congratulations :
“My congratulations go to Maverick Vinales which is in the process of getting back in the right direction in terms of its piloting. He seems to have rediscovered the pleasure of riding this motorcycle. He achieved a second place which was a little worse than his victory the previous week at Assen.
“We feel that he is coming back in good shape and I think that is important because this season for Yamaha the results are not exceptional. Their official drivers really need to be at the forefront and that they manage to have great races like the one in Viñales in Germany, it’s very important.”
Roll of honor :
“I give it to Marc Márquez because it is true that he had a magnificent race. This is his tenth victory on this circuit in several categories. He clearly really likes this track. ».
“He also deserves a big congratulations because I think the Honda is not easy, even if the RC213Vs were a little better there than at Assen. For me, Márquez remains the best current rider, that's for sure, and he always manages to get by, even when things don't go well with his bike on certain circuits or in relation to certain tire choices. He is a very great pilot who is beautiful to see.”
Encouragement:
“My encouragement goes to Cal Crutchlow because he had a good race, starting relatively from behind, then progressing gradually. He let go on the penultimate lap when he made a very small mistake. And I'm happy to see him finish well in third position because he often pushes too much and he falls. Unfortunately, this happens frequently ».
“It made me even more happy to see him in this third place as he had previously injured himself on the bike and that complicated things for him. This podium is good for him and for Team LCR because they are people I like. They have always done a good job and it’s nice to have such a team in the World Championship.”
Can do better :
« Valentino Rossi is in crisis over the last Grands Prix. In Germany, he didn't manage to be not too bad once. He was honestly in trouble. We saw during the race that he wasn't comfortable at all. He seemed to lack confidence in his bike. He couldn't attack the drivers he wanted to overtake. I've never seen Rossi like that. I honestly hope that things will improve and that his team will find the problem on his bike that is bothering him so that he can move forward for the rest of the Championship.”
The highlight:
“It was Fabio's fall, which unfortunately happened too early at the start of the race. I would have liked to see what he was capable of doing over the entire duration of the event, but I think he would have had a good pace ».
“I hope he didn't hurt himself too much in the big ride he had on Saturday. I was very surprised to see his bike again unstable as it had been throughout the previous Grand Prix at Assen. They will have to find a solution because it is not normal for the bike to be so reluctant in places that are always fast. The technical team would have to resolve this problem which is not fun and which could tire him even more physically because he still has his arm bothering him. Fortunately there is now a break, so I hope that will give him time to take good care of his arm. We need to re-educate him as best we can to be in great shape from Brno.”
The pleasant surprise:
“The Ducatis managed to get away with it in the race, although it was not a magnificent or exceptional result. But it's a decent result considering where they were, especially Dovizioso who really wasn't in great form throughout the weekend ».
“The Ducatis finished fourth, fifth and sixth. Even Miller managed to go to the end despite starting on soft tyres. They manage to do well, even on circuits that are not favorable to them ».
“It’s the only good surprise I found in this entire Grand Prix because the rest was frankly nothing exceptional.”
The overall score of the Grand Prix:
“I would give it a 13 out of 20 because it was nothing fantastic. It bothered me to see Rins fall because Suzuki is still a relatively new brand in MotoGP and we would like to see them repeat their good results like the victory they managed to obtain in the United States ».
“It was a tough Grand Prix, on a very complicated circuit, small and which turns a lot to the left. It was not a circuit that I enjoyed when I was driving, which perhaps explains why I did not find this Grand Prix exceptional.”
Photos © Repsol Media and LCR
