The Sachsenring didn't wait long to remind everyone why Marc Marquez has become a true legend there. Despite crashing in the very first free practice session, the Spaniard immediately displayed a pace that confirmed he will be the man to beat this weekend. Only Raul Fernandez managed to outpace him, and even then, only thanks to a fresh front tire in the final minutes.
The first benchmark of the weekend goes to Raul Fernandez. The driver TrackHouse Aprilia set the best time at 1'20"829, taking advantage of a new tire to temporarily take control of this first session of the German Grand PrixA new signal of the current form ofAprilia, already impressive during the last round at Assen.
However, the real lesson of this session concerns Marc Marquez. The nine-time world champion went off course at turn 3, without physical consequences. A fall that did not disrupt his demonstration at all.
With worn tires after about twenty laps, the driver Ducati only finished at 51 thousandths de Raul fernandez, immediately confirming that the Sachsenring remains his favorite playground. Beyond the ranking, it's above all his running pace which is already impressive.
Fabio DiGiannantonio He also continues his excellent momentum. Third in the session, just 0.107 seconds behind, the driver VR46 confirms the performances seen over several Grand Prix and establishes himself more than ever as one of the strongest members of the team Ducati.
Joan mir hoisted Honda in fourth place ahead Jack Miller on Yamaha PramacBoth improved their times thanks to new tires in the final minutes, which slightly puts their position into perspective compared to the drivers who worked mainly on their pace.
Alex Marquez place second Ducati officially in sixth position ahead alex rins, author of an encouraging performance with Yamaha . fabio quartararo could do no better than fifteenth place ahead Toprak Razgatlioglu.
Turn 3 has been a tricky challenge so far 👀💥#GermanGP 🇩🇪 pic.twitter.com/02H4iPdgxB
- MotoGP @ 🏁 (@MotoGP) July 10, 2026
Turn 3 catches out several drivers in Germany
The third turn proved particularly tricky. After Marc Marquez, Franco Morbidelli he also made a mistake when his Ducati hit a bump located near the rumble strip, causing a sudden loss of traction. Francis Bagnaia He too came very close to being fined in the same place. The Italian managed to save his Ducatibut finished only 19th, almost a second off the benchmark.
Marco Bezzecchi registered the second Aprilia official at the eighth place while Jorge Martin completes the Top 10. The winner of Assen, Ai Oguraonly finished seventeenth.
The KTM remain behind with Maverick Vinales, Pedro Acosta, Brad Binder et Enea Bastianini grouped outside the Top 10. Casa Particular in Viñales also crashed at the famous turn 11, the spectacular descent nicknamed Waterfall.
That was a FAST ONE 😱
Maverick has gone down at T11 and his bike goes flying 💥#GermanGP 🇩🇪 pic.twitter.com/AkG7Y0F6F6
- MotoGP @ 🏁 (@MotoGP) July 10, 2026
STOPPIE alert! More style points for Fabio here! 🤩#GermanGP 🇩🇪 pic.twitter.com/5kcrbN2U2j
- MotoGP @ 🏁 (@MotoGP) July 10, 2026
As is often the case in the first session, the gaps remain small and the tire strategies prevent definitive conclusions from being drawn. However, one certainty is already emerging: Marc Marquez Despite his physical limitations, he continues to do Sachsenring a unique circuit. His fall hasn't shaken his confidence, and the pace he's shown on worn tires suggests he's the clear favorite for the weekend. MotoGP has already been identified.
Will this trend continue during this Practice session, which is essentially a pre-qualifying round as it will determine a top 10 that will be the direct entry point into Q2 on Saturday? Before we find out, here is a table summarizing the facts known so far.
|
MotoGP™ Germany, Sachsenring |
2025 |
2026 |
| FP1 | 1'20.372 Marc Marquez (See here) | 1'20.829 Raul Fernandez (See here) |
| Practice | 1.19.394s Marc Marquez | |
| FP2 | 1'28.277 Marc Marquez (See here) | (See here) |
| Q1 | 1'27.827 Johann Zarco (See here) | (See here) |
| Q2 | 1'27.811 Marc Marquez (See here) | (See here) |
| Sprint | Marc Marquez, Marco Bezzecchi, Fabio Quartararo (See here) | (See here) |
| Warm Up | 1'28.802 Marc Marquez (See here) | (See here) |
| Course | Marc Marquez, Alex Marquez, Francesco Bagnaia (See here) | (See here) |
| All time lap record | 1'19.071 Fabio Di Giannantonio 2025 (See here) |
