German MotoGP, Sachsenring – Friday Practice Results

* Rookie

Official Sachsenring MotoGP records:
Best lap:
Francesco Bagnaia ITA Ducati 1m 19.765s (2022)
Fastest race lap:
Marc Marquez SPA Honda 1m 21.228s (2019)

Johann Zarco conquers a rain-interrupted opening practice for the 2023 German MotoGP at Sachsenring.

A shower arrived just 15 minutes into the session, sending riders into the pits with Jorge Martin fastest from Takaaki Nakagami and Marc Marquez.

The track fell silent for the next quarter of an hour, but with more rain a risk this afternoon riders pushed to improve in the closing minutes with Aleix Espargaro, Fabio di Giannantonio, Francesco Bagnaia and then Aleix Espargaro swapping the top spot in quick succession.

Sachsenring king Marquez, unbeaten in his previous 11 appearances at the track, had been pushing hard from the start, suffering an early leg-off scare at 160km/h before he briefly topped the session.

The Repsol Honda star was then pushed down to ninth before striking back with second behind Espargaro, then went fastest again before Zarco put his Pramac Ducati on top.

Aprilia’s Espargaro kept third. The Spaniard, who was diagnosed with two broken bones in his right heel after struggling with bicycle injuries throughout the Mugello weekend, had limped away from a  at turn 1 after ten minutes. Espargaro is unable to use his rear brake due to the foot damage, causing a fall at Mugello and it could thus have been a factor in this morning’s spill.

Alex Marquez and early leader Martin made it three satellite Ducatis in the top five.

Fabio Quartararo, who hasn’t won since last year’s German Grand Prix, says his main aim is to avoid a fourth Qualifying 1 appearance in a row by being inside the top ten on Friday – a goal he achieved with sixth despite a late fall at turn 1. Team-mate Franco Morbidelli fell shortly before the Frenchman, at the infamous turn 11 Ralf Waldmann (waterfall) corner.

LCR’s Takaaki Nakagami has been handed a Kalex chassis this weekend but used the standard chassis to set what would be his best time during the opening minutes.

• Sachsenring: Latest Moto2 Results
• Sachsenring: Latest Moto3 Results

Germany was the nadir of Francesco Bagnaia’s 2022 world championship season, slipping 91 points from Fabio Quartararo after an early fall before fighting back to take the title in the second half of the year. Bagnaia returns with a 21-point lead over Marco Bezzecchi.

Sachsenring is Marc Marquez’s most successful circuit, with eleven wins at the German Grand Prix, including eight in the MotoGP class. Absent last season due to arm surgery, when Quartararo took victory, Marquez hasn’t been beaten at the tight and twisty anti-clockwise circuit since 2009 in 125cc.

Marquez is riding alone at Repsol Honda with team-mate Joan Mir sidelined by a hand injury at Mugello last weekend. LCR Honda’s Alex Rins is also absent after fracturing his right tibia and fibula in Italy. The COTA winner won’t be fit to return until after the summer break.

GASGAS Tech3’s Pol Espargaro has abandoned a planned return in Germany and is again replaced by KTM test rider Jonas Folger, meaning a home rider will be taking part in the premier class. Espargaro is also thought unlikely to be fit for next weekend’s Assen round.