Bagnaia was the only rider who could get into the 1:19s in qualifying at the Sachsenring
The Ducati Lenovo Team’s Francesco Bagnaia has carried his superb MotoGP™ Free Practice form into qualifying for the Liqui Moly Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland as he secured pole position. The Italian was the only rider who could get into the 1:19s in Q2 at the Sachsenring – a 1:19.931, specifically – although the front row was still covered by less than a tenth of a second, proving just how close the category is. Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™ rider Fabio Quartararo has given himself a good chance of extending his World Championship lead by claiming second on the starting grid for Sunday’s race in Germany, and he will have Prima Pramac Racing’s Johann Zarco alongside him also.
There were three different makes in the top four thanks in part to Aprilia Racing’s Aleix Espargaro, but seven of the Bologna bullets made it into the second stanza of qualifying and six of those got into the top eight. Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) topped Q1 before claiming fifth in Q2, ahead of Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team), Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team), and Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing).
Bagnaia made a statement with a 1:20.098 on his first flying lap, immediately before an off-track excursion at Turn 1, and that was still the best time once the opening runs were done. By then, team-mate Miller had closed to 0.056 seconds behind, ahead of Martin on a 1:20.277 and Aleix Espargaro on a 1:20.379.
Pecco was quickly back into the pits for another new soft Michelin rear slick and was the first to go for his second run. He tightened his grip on provisional pole with a 1:20.064 and put more space between himself and the field when he backed that up with the aforementioned 1:19.931. No one would beat that time but, with the mercury pushing into the thirties at the Sachsenring, it was appropriate that second position was also hotly contested. Aleix Espargaro clocked a 1:20.120 and then Quartararo a 1:20.093, before Zarco pipped both of them with a 1:20.030.
However, Quartararo does not lead the World Championship without digging deep, and ‘El Diablo’ had just that little bit more pace left as he went 1:20.007 just before the chequered flag. Bagnaia took yet another new Michelin rear tyre as he tried…