• Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) wins the German Grand Prix
• Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) sets a new circuit record in 1min19
Fabio Quartararo produced a superb performance in scorching temperatures to win the Liqui Moly Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland at Sachsenring, Germany. In his wake, Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) and Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) completed the podium.
With temperatures continuing to rise throughout the weekend to reach, on the track, nearly 51°C on Sunday, the tire choices were almost unanimous with the Hard compound for the front and rear in order to to withstand the heat and stresses imposed on the left side of the tire by this unique pattern. The only exceptions are Bastianini with a front Medium, and Pol Espargaró, Mir and Quartararo with a rear Medium.
Temperatures were relatively normal on Friday with a maximum of 45°C in the afternoon. During Free Practice 1 and 2, the drivers began by measuring the grip on the circuit and working on the dry set-up with their allocation of MICHELIN Power Slicks. The pace in FP2 was higher with Bagnaia who beat Marc Márquez's circuit lap record (2019) in 1min20 with a Front Medium and a Rear Soft.
The mercury rose again on Saturday and the drivers attacked hard in FP3 to perform fast laps when the temperatures were still “cool” in the morning to enter the top-10 and go directly to Q2. Bagnaia continued his effort by establishing a new lap record under 1min20s with 1min19s765, still with a Medium front and a Soft rear. In FP4, the higher temperatures reduced the level of grip on the track and caused some difficulties for some drivers.
In Q2, Bagnaia set the fastest lap of the session to take pole position ahead of Quartararo and Zarco who qualified alongside him on the front row.
At the end of the Grand Prix, Piero Taramasso, Michelin Motorsport Two-Wheel Manager, said: “ Even though it is the shortest circuit on the MotoGP calendar, it is very demanding because of its profile with a lot of time spent on the left-hand corner. From our experience here last year, we significantly increased the hardness of our front Soft and Medium while offering slightly softer rear tires compared to last year. »
« But the temperatures were much more high this year, which had a negative effect on the level of grip on the track. Despite everything, our tires performed, providing consistent grip and giving riders confidence. This performance was highlighted by the first lap completed below 1min20s by Pecco in FP2. In addition, this performance was available for all drivers with the top-20 grouped into 9/10e seconds in FP3. »
