Sachsenring, Sprint: Ducati one-two-three with record winner Marc Marquez

The big headline ahead of the eleventh MotoGP Sprint of 2026 was less about world champion Marc Marquez’s 77th pole position than the devastating crash involving Aprilia factory rider Marco Bezzecchi. Whilst the riders in the premier class were preparing for the short 15-lap race, Bezzecchi was already on his way back to Italy. ‘Bez’ is due to undergo surgery tomorrow, Sunday, on his shattered left collarbone.

Back to the starting grid at the Sachsenring. The front row was occupied by three Ducati riders. Alongside Marc Márquez, his brother Alex took his place, with Fabio Di Giannantonio beside him. The VR46 Racing rider now had the chance to move even further up the standings in the World Championship from third on the grid. With Bezzecchi out and Jorge Martin’s poor qualifying performance, the World Championship is wide open again ahead of the two races at the Sachsenring.

Marc Marquez wurde seiner Favoritenrolle im Sachsenring-Sprint gerecht

Foto: Gold & Goose

The Trackhouse Aprilia riders, on the other hand, were well positioned, with Fernandez and Ogura taking fourth and fifth places respectively. Yamaha rider Fabio Quartararo surprised everyone with the sixth-fastest time; the Frenchman had only made it through to the main qualifying session via Q1. Jorge Martin and the KTM ace were only preparing for the sprint from the third row. Pecco Bagnaia is even down in tenth position in Germany.

The conditions ahead of the sprint could not have been better. The riders began their warm-up lap with an air temperature of 24 degrees and light cloud cover. The grandstands surrounding the historic circuit were already almost completely full. One thing was certain before the start: with a 16-point lead, Jorge Martin would also go into the Grand Prix as the championship leader. The big question, however, was: how many points would remain after the sprint?

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Sachsenring: International Livestream - Sonntag

MotoGP World Championship

12.07.2026 - 09:35

Despite a slip at the start line, Marc Marquez managed to win the sprint to the first corner. Behind him, Alex Marquez turned in, ahead of Ai Ogura, who was, however, overtaken again by Fabio Di Giannantonio on lap 1. This meant that three Ducatis were once again in the lead. Behind them were three Aprilias – the Trackhouse bikes and Jorge Martin, who’d got off to a good start. Bagnaia had moved up to 7th place, whilst Quartararo had dropped back to 8th, ahead of Pedro Acosta.

It soon looked as though Marc Marquez was pulling away, but on lap 3, Alex Marquez and ‘Diggia’ closed the gap on the champion once more. Ai Ogura followed half a second behind in fourth place. By the start of lap 5, the top four had regrouped and Raul Fernandez was also closing in on the leaders again. Meanwhile, Acosta had caught up with Yamaha rider Quartararo and was now eighth, 2.8 seconds behind Marc Marquez.

On lap 6, the world champion responded. “AM73” and “Diggia” kept pace, but the gap to P4 and Ogura widened again by half a second. Behind them, Martin came under pressure from Pecco Bagnaia. At the very back of the field was Maverick Viñales. At the halfway stage, the Spaniard was already 15 seconds off the lead and behind Razgatlioglu and Crutchlow. On lap 9, Marc Márquez stepped up the pace. His lead over his brother was now 0.4 seconds, and one second over Fabio Di Giannantonio. Rookie Diogo Moreira put in a remarkable performance, finishing 10th as the highest-placed Honda rider.

In the final third of the Saxony Sprint, Gresini rider Alex Marquez gave it another go. ‘AM73’ halved the gap and was once again within striking distance. Alex, who had already had to cope with two heavy crashes resulting in injuries, showed no signs of weakness and closed in on his iconic brother’s rear wheel once more.

Di Giannantonio also picked up the pace again. With two laps to go, the top three were once again within 0.7 seconds of each other. Fabio Di Giannantonio, who set the fastest lap in the final, was now right on Alex Márquez’s tail. Marc Márquez, however, controlled the sprint and gave neither his brother nor the third-placed rider in the World Championship a chance. Marc Márquez crossed the finish line 0.368 seconds ahead of Alex and 0.813 seconds ahead of ‘Diggia’. With 19 sprint race victories, Márquez is now also the most successful rider over the short distance.

Fabio di Giannantonio (3.) komplettierte das Sprint-Podium

Foto: Gold & Goose

The Trackhouse duo followed in fourth (Ogura) and fifth (Fernandez). Jorge Martin finished sixth, but was six seconds behind the winner at the finish. Bagnaia held on to seventh place ahead of Pedro Acosta – Quartararo secured the final point in ninth. Moreia remained the best-placed Honda rider in 10th place. Rookie number 2, Toprak, finished 17th, just ahead of veteran Cal Crutchlow.

In the World Championship standings, Di Giannantonio has now closed the gap to second place to just two points. Marc Márquez remains fifth. His deficit to championship leader Martin has shrunk to 31 points.