Marquez crashes three times in qualifying, Bagnaia on pole

Pecco Bagnaia took pole position for the German Grand Prix at the Sachsenring in a wild qualifying session, as Marc Marquez stole the show while crashing three times.

The track had been wet to start the first segment but dried as qualifying progressed – and all throughout Marquez demanded attention.

Fighting through the first qualifying segment for the first time at the Sachsenring, a track where he is unbeaten, Marquez had taken first place by nearly a second after initial runs on wet tyres and kept them on for his second time out of the pits.

Slips off at T13 💥
Gets up 👍
Literally bolts back to the pits 🏃@marcmarquez93 is wasting NO time!#GermanGP 🇩🇪 pic.twitter.com/WFrPJD2JsL

— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) June 17, 2023

He then swiftly crashed his bike at the wet final corner, abandoning it in the gravel to sprint across the track into the pitlane, where a spare RC213V on slick tyres was waiting for him.

By that point Brad Binder – who, according to KTM team manager Francesco Guidotti, had been “convinced” by mixed-weather specialist team-mate Jack Miller – was already out on slicks, and remarkably it was only Marquez who followed his cue.

And, as the track continued to dry, both the slick runners ultimately advanced to Q2 by a considerable margin, albeit with Marquez having needed to keep it together over a do-or-die final lap.

As the pole shootout started, the final corner bit Marquez again virtually right away – and worse this time, Marquez following Miller closely on the inside when the rear stepped out and he was thrown over the handlebars.

T13. Again. 🤯

Down goes @marcmarquez93 💥#GermanGP 🇩🇪 pic.twitter.com/HMadTz7cmt

— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) June 17, 2023

The TV feed showed him limping away from the site of the crash, yet just moments later he was there riding his damaged RC213V back into the pits. With the other bike still damaged, a quick repair job entailed ripping a winglet off a bike belonging to injury absentee team-mate Joan Mir and sticking it on Marquez’s – and, with that done, he rejoined the action with five minutes left on the clock.

He improved his laptime, too, before crashing out for a third time, tucking the front at Turn 1.

This brought out yellow flags, which were already out in a different part of the circuit for a Johann Zarco off at the Waterfall corner, meaning many a lap was cancelled late on.

And one of those laps was a potential pole time for Marco Bezzecchi – who, after having mimicked Marquez in high-siding at the final corner, went half a tenth quicker than Bagnaia but had it not count.

Déja-vu? 😮

Marco Bezzecchi crashes at the exact same spot as Marquez and RUNS back to the pits 💥#GermanGP 🇩🇪 pic.twitter.com/2DxAJKmUwP

— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) June 17, 2023

Bagnaia therefore secured pole with a 1m21.409s, joined on the front row by fellow Valentino Rossi protege Luca Marini – who looked on course to give his VR46 team pole before a moment through the final corner – and Miller.

Zarco, Bezzecchi and Jorge Martin made it an all-Ducati second row.

Despite all his travails, Marquez did salvage seventh, albeit that is still his worst-ever MotoGP qualifying at the Sachsenring. He is joined on the third row by brother Alex Marquez (Gresini Ducati) and Binder.

The sole Aprilia and Yamaha representatives in Q2, Aleix Espargaro and Fabio Quartararo, were 10th and 12th respectively, with works Ducati rider Enea Bastianini between them.

Maverick Vinales was the best of the wet-tyre runners in Q1, yet that still only meant 13th on the grid – the Aprilia man ultimately a full 1.6s off advancing.

Gresini Ducati sophomore Fabio Di Giannantonio and Tech3 Gas Gas rookie Augusto Fernandez will join him on row five.

LCR’s Takaaki Nakagami – the only other Honda rider in the field this weekend besides Marquez – had admitted doubts over his fitness for Saturday’s action after the long-suffering little finger on his right hand was hurt again in a Friday crash (pictured below).

But he logged double-digit laps in the pre-qualifying practice, and subsequently picked up 18th on the grid.

Qualifying Results