MotoGP Sachsenring: Pecco Bagnaia wins in Germany as Jorge Martin crashes out

Pecco Bagnaia was victorious in a dramatic Grand Prix race at the Sachsenring after Jorge Martin crashed out of the lead on the penultimate lap.

Martin took the lead of the race away from Bagnaia on lap seven and held a comfortable lead until he hit the deck at turn one, allowing Bagnaia to take control of the race and the title fight. It’s Bagnaia’s fourth consecutive Grand Prix race win, and his fifth in the last six races.

The Italian becomes Ducati’s most successful MotoGP rider, moving above Casey Stoner onto 24 victories. Bagnaia now has a 10-point advantage over Martin the championship standings.

Marc Marquez finished second after battling his way through from 13^th on the grid. The Spaniard had a couple of close calls along the way, notably with Brad Binder on the opening lap and then with Franco Morbidelli whilst battling for fourth.

The Gresini Racing Ducati rider got the better of his teammate and brother Alex Marquez with a lap to, with the latter crossing the line in third to secure an emotional double Marquez podium. It’s the first time that brothers have appeared on the premier class podium since Imola 1997, when Nobu and Takuma Aoki finished second and third respectively.

Enea Bastianini came home in fourth after eventually getting the better of Morbidelli. Bastianini may have been able to go with Marc Marquez had he been able to make a move stick on Morbidelli.

Sprint race podium finisher Miguel Oliveira was sixth for Trackhouse Racing Aprilia, ahead of Pedro Acosta and Marco Bezzecchi. Brad Binder and Raul Fernandez completed the top 10.

Fabio Quartararo was 11^th onboard the Monster Energy Yamaha M1, ahead of Maverick Vinales, who fell down the order after running off the circuit in the early stages of the race. Jack Miller and Augusto Fernandez were 13^th and 14^th respectively, whilst Takaaki Nakagami was the leading Honda rider in 15^th.

Luca Marini, Johann Zarco, Stefan Bradl, Joan Mir and Remy Gardner were the final classified riders. Fabio Di Giannantonio returned to the pits at the end of lap nine and retired from the race.

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Jorge Martin has extended his MotoGP championship lead to 15 points after taking victory in the Sprint Race at the Sachsenring.

The Spaniard ended Pecco Bagnaia’s five-race winning streak after a stunning move down the inside of his main title rival at turn nine on the third lap. The move came after a failed move down the inside of Bagnaia at turn one, a move which resulted in Martin running in too deep.

It’s Martin’s fourth sprint victory of the 2024 MotoGP season and comes at a crucial time given Bagnaia’s recent run of form.

Miguel Oliveira bagged his best result of the season in second after putting a move on Bagnaia at the final corner on the third lap. The Portuguese rider is benefiting from factory Aprilia technical support in Germany following Aleix Espargaro’s withdrawal from the race weekend due to injury.

Oliveira’s previous best this year was eighth in both the Sprint and Grand Prix race at Jerez, whilst his podium at the Sachsenring represents his best result so far as an Aprilia rider. Oliveira’s last podium came at the 2022 Thailand Grand Prix when he was a factory KTM rider.

Bagnaia completed the podium after holding off teammate Enea Bastianini in the latter stages of the race, whilst Franco Morbidelli completed the top five onboard the Prima Pramac Racing Ducati.

Marc Marquez salvaged sixth position after fighting his way through from 13^th on the grid. The six-time premier class champion went down the inside of Maverick Vinales at the final corner and pipped his fellow Spaniard to the line by just 0.003s.

Marquez is battered and bruised after a massive highside on Friday resulted in a bruised ribcage and a fractured left index finger. His final flying lap in Q1 was ruined due to Stefan Bradl cutting across the racing line, resulting in a three-place grid penalty for the Honda wildcard entrant.

Brad Binder was the leading KTM rider in eighth, with Alex Marquez and Marco Bezzecchi completing the top 10. Jack Miller came home in 11^th on the second of the Red Bull KTM RC16s, just ahead of Fabio Di Giannantonio and Fabio Quartararo.

Raul Fernandez endured a tough afternoon after dropping down from third on the grid to 16^th onboard the Trackhouse Racing Aprilia.

Luca Marini was the best-placed Honda rider in 15^th and was able to beat GasGas Tech3 Racing’s Augusto Fernandez to the line. Johann Zarco and Takaaki Nakagami finished 17^th and 18^th respectively, ahead of Bradl and the returning Remy Gardner. The Aussie has taken the spot at vacated by the injured Alex Rins at Monster Energy Yamaha.

Joan Mir and Pedro Acosta were the final two classified riders. Acosta was running in 10^th when he ran off the circuit.