Pramac Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland

FIM MotoGP World Championship

Sachsenring, Germany

July 14, 2018

Qualifying Results (all on Michelin tires):

From Qualifying Two:

1. Marc Marquez, Spain (Honda), 1:20.270, New Circuit Best Lap Record

2. Danilo Petrucci, Italy (Ducati), 1:20.295

3. Jorge Lorenzo, Spain (Ducati), 1:20.327

4. Maverick Vinales, Spain (Yamaha), 1:20.441

5. Andrea Dovizioso, Italy (Ducati), 1:20.444

6. Valentino Rossi, Italy (Yamaha), 1:20.532

7. Cal Crutchlow, UK (Honda), 1:20.675

8. Andrea Iannone, Italy (Suzuki), 1:20.682

9. Alvaro Bautista, Spain (Ducati), 1:20.700

10. Dani Pedrosa, Spain (Honda), 1:20.831

11. Alex Rins, Spain (Suzuki), 1:20.847

12. Takaaki Nakagama, Japan (Honda), 1:20.938

From Qualifying One:

13. Aleix Espargaro, Spain (Aprilia), 1:20.972

14. Johann Zarco, France (Yamaha), 1:21.059

15. Jack Miller, Australia (Ducati), 1:21.183

16. Pol Espargaro, Spain (KTM), 1:21.242

17. Bradley Smith, UK (KTM), 1:21.287

18. Hafizh Syahrin, Malaysia (Yamaha), 1:21.460

19. Tito Rabat, Spain (Ducati), 1:21.546

20. Scott Redding, UK (Aprilia), 1:21.749

21. Stefan Bradl, Germany (Honda), 1:21.802

22. Thomas Luthi, Switzerland (Honda), 1:22.012

23. Karel Abraham, Czech Republic (Ducati), 1:22.159

24. Xavier Simeon, Belgium (Ducati), 1:22.709

More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

All or nothing: Marquez takes pole by just 0.025

Everything goes down to the wire and it’s only half a tenth covering the top three at the Sachsenring

It was all or nothing for a ninth consecutive pole at the Sachsenring for reigning Champion and ‘King of the Ring’ Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) – but the number 93 seriously had to work for it. By the end of Q2 at the Pramac Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland, it’s just 0.025 between Marquez on pole and top Independent Team rider Danilo Petrucci (Alma Pramac Racing) in second – with Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team) only another 0.032 off to complete the front row.

After the first runs in the session it was Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) on provisional pole as the Spaniard was the first to break Marquez’ previous pole lap record from 2015, before the first charge on the second exit saw Lorenzo threaten that – with Petrucci in close pursuit. Over the line the two took over at the top, with Petrucci just ahead, as Marquez began his third run – later crediting the two-stop strategy as a key to his ninth pole at the venue.

On that last dash with the clock counting down, the number 93 was just off in the first sector, put in a personal best second sector and then a red third one – meaning he was up on the previous best overall. But it was mere hundredths and it went right down to the wire, with a solid final sector seeing Marquez just maintain the advantage and pip Petrucci by the tiniest of margins. That means it’s exactly the top two from last season, except then it was over a tenth and a half – and this year it’s half a tenth covering the front row.

Viñales wasn’t able to improve and stayed fourth, Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) moved up to fifth after coming from Q1 and Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) found some more pace on Saturday to complete the superstar-studded second row – with every one of them keen to get the launch of their lives and move forward at lights out. With Lorenzo ahead of them on the front row, that could be a task. The front row share 11 titles between them – but so do the second.

On the third row, former podium finisher at the venue Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) took P7, ahead of practice pacesetter Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and the on-form Alvaro Bautista (Angel Nieto Team), with Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) rounding out the top ten. The number 26 has an impeccable record at the track – it’s the venue at which he’s had most success, along with Valencia – and could be one to watch when the lights go out.

Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) starts P11 and Q1 graduate Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) starts P12, with Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) hot on their heels in thirteenth. Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Racing) and Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) complete the top fifteen on the grid after Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini), who just missed out on a place in Q2, received a six-place grid penalty for the race following ‘irresponsible riding’ in FP3; now starting P19.

Think you know what’s going to happen in the German GP? You might be the only one…From 14:00 (GMT +2) the grid will be back out to race and see who will take the momentum into the summer break.

Italian job: pole for Pasini in Germany

It’s an all Italian affair in Germany, with Marini and Bagnaia joining Pasini on the front row

Mattia Pasini (Italtrans Racing Team) grabbed his second pole of the season at the Pramac Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland to finish 0.181 seconds ahead of fellow Italian Luca Marini (Sky Racing Team VR46), with his teammate, Championship leader Francesco Bagnaia (Sky Racing Team VR46), rounding out the front row to make it an all-Italian front three for the first time ever in Moto2™.

The intermediate class took to the Sachsenring in beautiful conditions and it was the eventual pole sitter who came out the blocks with all cylinders firing, climbing to the top of the timesheets to set his benchmark time of 1:23.787 on his fourth flying lap – a time that would go unbeaten. The two VR46 riders went out in tandem with Bagnaia leading Marini around the 3.6km circuit, with the latter going 0.002 quicker than his teammate to claim his second consecutive front row start. Bagnaia had to settle for third, but will be confident of challenging for the win in Sunday’s race to try and extend his Championship lead over Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo) – the Portuguese rider starts 15th.

Fourth and the leading KTM was Sam Lowes (Swiss Innovative Investors) as he launches from the front of the second row, with 0.001 splitting the British rider from Bagnaia. Lorenzo Baldassarri (Pons HP40) recovered from a crash in FP3 to qualify fifth on the grid, with FP2’s quickest rider Xavi Vierge (Dynavolt Intact GP) rounding out Row 2 at the team’s home Grand Prix.

After a heavy fall at Turn 8 in FP3, Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) was able to earn a seventh place start in qualifying, with teammate Joan Mir just 0.013 behind him in eighth. At his home Grand Prix, Marcel Schroetter (Dynavolt Intact GP) will launch from ninth in a bid to stand on the rostrum for the first time, with Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) in 10th – less than four tenths from pole position.

Fabio Quartararo (MB Conveyors – Speed Up Racing) was an early faller in the session at Turn 3, the Frenchman will have work to do from P18 if he’s to claim his third consecutive podium. Meanwhile, Khairul Idham Pawi (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) also crashed at Turn 3 late on – both riders were ok.

Less than a second covers Pawi in P24 to pole in what is an incredibly tight intermediate class field. Who will take victory at the German GP tomorrow? Find out when the Moto2™ riders go racing at 12:20 local time (GMT +2) on Sunday.

The first ever all-Italian front row since Moto2™ was introduced in 2010

Hit for six: Martin takes pole at the Sachsenring

Championship leader takes his sixth pole of the season in Germany with Ramirez and Bastianini also on the front row

Championship leader Jorge Martin (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) secured his sixth pole of 2018 thanks to his 1:28.434 at the Pramac Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland, beating Marcos Ramirez (Bester Capital Dubai), claimed a podium finish at the Sachsenring last season, by 0.060 seconds as the Spaniard earned his first front row start in the lightweight class, with Enea Bastianini (Leopard Racing) rounding out the front row in third.

After a nasty crash at Turn 3 in FP3, Jaume Masia (Bester Capital Dubai) bounced back to secure his best ever Grand Prix qualifying result in fourth – a fantastic end to the session for the rookie. Behind the Spaniard was compatriot Aron Canet (Estrella Galicia 0,0), who qualifies fifth on the grid despite a highside at on the exit of Turn 1 with just over 15 minutes to go. Rounding out the second row of the grid in sixth was Tony Arbolino (Marinelli Snipers Team) who qualifies well again at the Sachsenring after his P5 last season – just 0.005 back from Canet.

Marco Bezzecchi (Redox PrustelGP) recovered from an early crash at Turn 3 in qualifying to spearhead the third row of the grid in seventh – 0.349 back from Championship rival Martin, with John McPhee (CIP – Green Power) in eighth. Ayumu Sasaki (Petronas Sprinta Racing) had a solid session in ninth, qualifying as the leading Japanese rider, with Fabio Di Giannantonio (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) rounding out a top ten on Saturday that was covered by just 0.457 seconds.

On his first outing at the Sachsenring, Albert Arenas (Angel Nieto Team) qualified well in P11 after briefly sitting inside the top three, with Gabriel Rodrigo (RBA BOE Skull Rider) also dropping from a front row start to outside the top ten in P12. German Philipp Oettl (Südmetall Schedl GP Racing) will launch from P13 at his home Grand Prix after slipping down the order in the latter stages, with stand-in rider Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) impressing in 14th, just over half a second back from pole.

So, it’s Martin who once again is the king of qualifying in the lightweight class, his 15th career pole, who can stop him from converting P1 on the grid to victory on Sunday? Tune in for the Moto3™ race at 11:00 local time (GMT +2) to find out.

More, from a press release issued by Alma Pramac Racing:

Pramac Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland

#GermanGP Quali. A fantastic Petrux fights for the pole position and celebrates the front row at Parc Fermé.

It is an extraordinary Saturday for Alma Pramac Racing. Danilo Petrucci conquers the front row of the Pramac Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland with an extraordinary P2, just 25 thousandths of a second behind Marc Marquez. Jack Miller wasn’t able to get into Q2 and had to settle for row 5.

Following the second place in Friday’s free practice, Petrux started off the Saturday’s qualifying by finishing 2nd in FP3. Danilo is confident in the first run of Q2 and in the second time attack he notches up a fabulous lap that puts him in pole position. In the final seconds, however, Marc Marquez managed to take pole by just 25 thousandths of a second.

Jack wasn’t able to make an impact on the FP3 and was forced to pass by Q1. In the second run he lights up the red helmet in T1 but then makes a small mistake that does not allow him to qualify for Q2.

P2 – Danilo Petrucci 1’20.295

“The team has done a great job. I was very quick in both free practice and qualifying. I followed Jorge in the second run and this gave me an advantage. I was convinced I could do Pole Position but Marc Marquez managed to do better. I’m very happy anyway”.

P15 – Jack Miller 1’21.183

“We tried to work on the set-up between FP3 and FP4 to try and make the tyres work better. In Q1 I tried to push hard but I couldn’t make the perfect lap that would have served for qualifying to Q2. Tomorrow I have to make a good start”.

More, from a press release issued by Aprilia Gresini Racing:

ESPARGARÓ AND REDDING TO START FROM THE SEVENTH ROW IN THE GP OF GERMANY

ALEIX PENALISED SIX POSITIONS

Aleix Espargaró and Scott Redding will start side by side from the seventh row in the GP of Germany that will be held tomorrow on the Sachsenring circuit.

However, while Redding’s spot on the grid was decided by his 20th place time (1’21.749), for Espargaró it is the result of a penalty levied for having slowed Marc Márquez during the FP3 session. Aleix did not realise that Márquez was approaching him from behind and he involuntarily slowed him down. For this, the MotoGP Stewards Panel penalised him six positions, moving him back from the thirteenth place that he had earned in Q1 with a nice time of 1’20.972.

Luck was not on the Aprilia Racing Team Gresini number 41 rider’s side either who, first saw his chances at going straight through to Q2 go up in smoke by just 235 thousandths in FP3 and then in Q1 he missed his shot by just 9 thousandths of a second. On the track, Aleix demonstrated a good pace, so much that he finished FP4 in fifth place.

Scott Redding is expecting a fiercely fought race where he’ll be able to play his cards thanks to the good feeling he has demonstrated in terms of consistency in his long runs.

ALEIX ESPARGARO’

“Today we managed to be quite competitive and unfortunately we didn’t have direct access to the second qualifying session for a few tenths of a second. We worked on both the setting and the choice of tyres, trying to use them for many laps and evaluating the behaviour of the different options. The lap in Q1 was very good but it was not enough, 9 thousandths in this case have made the difference. As far as the penalty is concerned, I am obviously not happy. I don’t feel I made a mistake, I was off the line and for this I find the penalty exaggerated. In case of contact between riders we have seen penalties of 3 positions, as yesterday in Moto2, and this is incredible. We will start a long way back on a circuit where it is not easy to recover positions. I will have to give it my all”.

SCOTT REDDING

“Overall the situation is good. There are still a couple of corners where we lose a bit compared to the others: in the first sector I’m fast and in the second the bike works rather well, but in the final part, downhill coming out of the turn, the others seem to have more traction. We worked on this aspect today, but we did not find a definitive solution. I did a long run in FP4 with good sensations in terms of consistency. Unfortunately, in Q1 I did not have the right feeling with the front tyre. Usually I don’t feel good with the medium, but I thought it could work here. I think that tomorrow could be another very interesting race. The times are rather close and all the riders will want to save their tyres.”

More, from a press release issued by Repsol Honda:

Marquez does it again: ninth consecutive pole at Sachsenring. Pedrosa improves to 10th

Qualifying day of the German GP followed one of Marc Marquez’s classic patterns. The reigning World Champion dedicated the FP3 and FP4 sessions to finalizing his bike’s setup in order to understand the tyre feedback and to test the limits to which he could push himself and his RC213V.

With all the dots connected, Marc and his team proceeded to Q2 with a clear strategy in mind: three attempts—with a long slide and an unplanned (but also unsurprising, really) near-crash—to take his ninth consecutive pole at Sachsenring. The 1’20.270” lap was a new pole record for the circuit, Marquez’s third pole this season, his 48th in MotoGP, and the 76th in his career. Chapeau.

The outcome from the other side of the garage was also positive enough, with Dani Pedrosa able to improve from yesterday’s 20th place to 10th this morning, earning a direct passage to Q2. The eventual 10th place in Q2 still may not satisfy Dani, but it will give him the chance to try and recover in tomorrow’s race, which begins at 2 p.m. local time.

Marc Marquez 93

POLE POSITION 1’20.270 (NEW RECORD)

“Honestly, I didn’t really feel we would be able to take pole today, but we did and it’s fantastic. The team planned the perfect strategy, which was to try and use three tyres, and I think that’s what gave me pole position. I knew the two Ducatis were very fast on new tyres, but already during my second run, I understood that I would be able to push more on my next and final exit, on the hard tyre option, which was the one I was feeling best with. I did it, but I also made a few mistakes, one in turn three where I nearly crashed! Anyway, I kept pushing and pushing on my final lap, and finally 25 thousandths of a second gave me the pole. I’m sorry for Danilo [Petrucci], but we’re both on the front row and that’s what ultimately counts. Regarding tomorrow, I think we’ll have two races—I mean the first 15 laps and the second 15 laps. In the first half, everyone will be fast but in the second half the tyres will drop, and that moment will be the key. We’ve worked a lot to try and keep our pace on used tyres in the high ’21s, but it’s tough and will also be tough tomorrow.”

Dani Pedrosa 26

10TH 1’20.831

“Today we made a good improvement from yesterday, but we’re still struggling to find the correct setting in some areas, particularly to fully exploit the new tyres in qualifying. So unfortunately, our grid position isn’t very good, also because lap times were very tight. Overall, we did improve our race pace, so tomorrow it will be important to try and start well and then manage the tyres well over race distance.”

More, from a press release issued by Movistar Yamaha:

SECOND ROW START AT SACHSENRING FOR MOVISTAR YAMAHA

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP‘s Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi will start tomorrow‘s Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland from the second row of the grid.

Sachsenring (Germany), 14th July 2018

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP‘s Maverick Viñales was in early contention for pole position in today‘s qualifying session and secured fourth place on the grid for tomorrow‘s Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland. Teammate Valentino Rossi’s continuous pushing earned him a hard-fought sixth position, as all 12 riders taking part in Q2 were covered by 0.7s.

Viñales started the 15-minute shoot-out with confidence. He fired up his YZR-M1 to briefly top the rankings with his first flying lap, and he was just getting warmed up. His second attempt put him firmly back on top with a 1‘20.441s before he headed into the pit box with eight and a half minutes to go.

The Spaniard let the majority of the rider field leave pit lane before him, so he had clear space out on track to defend his provisional pole. Although the youngster was pushing on the three laps he had left, he dropped to fourth in the final four minutes. Unable to improve on his best time he ended the day 0.171s from first.

Teammate Rossi had a more difficult start to the session. He dipped under the 1‘21s mark on his second hot lap, setting a 1‘20.972s for seventh place, before he decided to return to pit lane.

With less than six minutes remaining, the Doctor began his second run with a fresh set of tyres. Finding himself in eighth place, he knew he had to take it to the next level. The Italian moved up to fifth on his fourth attempt with a 1’20.532s. He had one more shot before the end of the session but didn‘t better his time. He finished in sixth place, 0.262s from pole and will join his teammate on the second row of the grid tomorrow.

MASSIMO MEREGALLI

TEAM DIRECTOR

It’s been a busy second day at the Sachsenring. Like we said yesterday, we had work to do on the settings and tyre specifications for the race, so that kept us occupied during today’s two practice sessions. Maverick showed confidence at the start of Q2 and it was nice to see him hold on to provisional pole until three minutes before the end. It’s a shame he wasn’t able to improve his time even further on his second run. Valentino experienced the opposite: he struggled to get into the 1’20s on his first try, but managed to climb up to sixth position on the second one. Having both riders finish on the second row is not a bad result, especially considering that this circuit is not an easy place to overtake. We‘re still expecting a hard race. We’re looking to make another step before tomorrow’s warm up with a view to the race.

MAVERICK VIÑALES

Qualifying was positive. Honestly, the first run was really good. On the second run I tried to push, but the front tyre was already a bit used, so that made it more difficult. I think it was possible today to make the pole, but we are mostly focused on tomorrow anyway. We have some things we want to improve tonight and let’s see. We’re going to work on the electronics and also my riding style, so I think we can improve.

VALENTINO ROSSI

Today was a lot better for us. We improved the balance of the bike and the acceleration, using the electronics. Our pace isn’t fantastic, but it’s also not so bad. It’s true that, like many times this year, we’re all very close, so it’s important to start from the second row and try to have a good start and a good first few laps. After that we’ll see. I think that the rear tyre choice will be crucial, because it’s still open and we still haven’t understood which is the best one. We have to see, check the data, work, and also continue to work tomorrow.

More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki ECSTAR:

THIRD ROW START FOR IANNONE IN SACHSENRING

Andrea Iannone: 8th – 1:20.682 (+ 0.412)

Alex Rins: 11th – 1:20.847 (+ 0.577)

• Andrea Iannone’s one-lap pace very hot.

•Alex Rins working on consistent lap times.

•Incredibly tight qualifying session proves tricky.

The morning’s crucial FP3 session was an extremely successful one for Team SUZUKI ECSTAR as Andrea Iannone managed to top the session and prove once again how strong his pace is. The Italian was just a tenth off setting a new circuit record. Alex Rins worked hard in the morning session to build on his lap time and put himself into the Top 10, allowing passage to Q2. The top 11 riders were covered by just 0.477, a taste of things to come for the afternoon qualifying sessions.

With the sun blazing down and the track running very hot, Andrea Iannone and Alex Rins opted for a medium-soft tyre combination and aimed for two runs in the short 15 minute session. Although both riders started well, they found themselves bumped down the order when the chequered flag came out. Iannone will start the race from the third row in 8th, and Rins will be one row behind in 11th. Both riders were only half a second from the pole time.

Davide Brivio – Team Manager

“I think we worked quite well in terms of race preparation, and we have good pace with both riders. Unfortunately, in the qualifying we couldn’t use our potential. Both riders couldn’t really attack for the lap time, we had a better potential but we ended up 8th and 11th, so it will be more difficult tomorrow. But if we can build up more good pace we can try to recover; get good starts and try to make up positions during the race.”

Andrea Iannone

“I think it’s a positive weekend for us so far, especially as we’ve improved on the tyre life and consistency, and this is the most important thing for us – yesterday we struggled in this area. I think we need to work a little bit more in this way and we’ll try something tomorrow morning. In FP4 I rode well and had good pace, but it’s important to remain consistent for the whole race, the second part of the race will be important. I expected more in qualifying but with the hot temperatures I struggled more and we had some spinning. Tomorrow I’ll try my best and try to get to the top.”

Alex Rins

“We missed out on doing one fast lap, but I think you can see on the time sheets that we are competitive with used tyres. It will be an interesting race tomorrow and we will try to give our best from the start and try to recover positions. After that we need to see how the tyres are, because here they drop off quite quickly and after 12 or 13 laps the race will change a lot. Here everybody is so close on times, so qualifying has been difficult. But our race pace is good and consistent.”

More, from a press release issued by Reale Avintia Racing:

Difficult qualifying session for Reale Avintia Racing riders

MotoGP GP of Germany – Sachsenring

The weekend at the Sachsenring has been difficult for Reale Avintia Racing riders so far. Even though the weather in Germany has been almost perfect with sunny and warm conditions, Tito Rabat and Xavier Simeon are not satisfied with their performances in qualifying for tomorrow’s 30-lap-race.

The Spanish rider was not able to fight for a place in Q2 in this mornings FP3 and things were no different in Q1. He tried his best, but Rabat couldn’t break the 1’20 minute barrier. On Sunday, he will start the race from the seventh row of the grid.

Simeon was disappointed because he is far from the fastest riders. Following a positive test in Barcelona, the Reale Avintia Belgian rider was expecting more at Assen and more again at the Sachsenring, where he won the race in Moto2 back in 2015. Nevertheless, Xavi is confident for the race, as he has a decent pace. If he starts well, he expects to be able to put up a fight within a group of riders.

The MotoGP race is scheduled for 2pm.

Tito Rabat | 1’21.546 | P19

“So far the weekend has been difficult, but the race is tomorrow and we have some ideas to try during the warm-up session that should help me to find more rear grip. The set-up of the bike is okay, we have the right tyres and everything is set to fight for a good result tomorrow, and this is the most important thing.”

Xavier Simeon | 1’22.709 | P25

“I’m disappointed because we are very far behind. After Catalunya, where we made a step forward, I was hoping to do better, but we dropped back again. Sachsenring has been always good for me and I can’t understand why I’m so slow. The most important thing is that my pace is not so bad comparing with Thomas Lüthi or Stefan Bradl, so I hope, if my tyres last, to be able to battle with them during the race.”

More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda Castrol:

CRUTCHLOW SEVENTH AT SACHSENRING QUALIFYING

LCR Honda CASTROL rider Cal Crutchlow secured seventh position on the grid for the German Grand Prix after a predictably tight day of qualifying at the Sachsenring on Saturday. The Briton made solid progress after a difficult opening day of free practice yesterday and was up alongside the leading riders in terms of race pace throughout.

Crutchlow demonstrated his overnight improvement in FP3 as he produced the third fastest time of the morning session. However, a couple of costly errors undermined his push for a front row spot in Q2 and he eventually had to settle for seventh and a place at the start of the third row. The Briton subsequently emphasised the importance of a fast start on Sunday as he bids to stay with the leading group and fight for a podium spot.

Cal Crutchlow – 7th

(1’20.675 – lap 7 of 8)

“The team did a good job, I feel better with the bike than I did yesterday. Starting on the third row at the Sachsenring is never good, but I made a couple of mistakes which affected my performance. I’m a little disappointed because things are so close, Marc did an incredible lap but was only fourth tenths ahead, which is only one tenth per sector, and I lost two in one”.

“But we have to take the positives, we’ve made progress today and I think we can battle tomorrow. The problem is we need to get up to the lead group straightaway because if something happens or breaks up it’s so difficult to come across here. But I look forward to trying to do a good job tomorrow.”

More, from a press release issued by Ducati:

 Front row start for Jorge Lorenzo, who qualifies third for the German GP at the Sachsenring. Andrea Dovizioso finishes fifth and lines up on row 2 for the ninth round of the season

Jorge Lorenzo will line up on the front row of the grid for tomorrow’s ninth round of the championship – the German Grand Prix – after setting the third quickest time in qualifying at the Sachsenring. This morning the rider from Mallorca finished FP3 in eighth place, but this was enough to see him through into the afternoon’s Q2 session, in which he set a time of 1’20.327 to line up on row 1 alongside Marquez and Petrucci.

Team-mate Andrea Dovizioso set the fifth quickest time in 1’20.444, which puts him on the second row of the grid for the 30-lap race. This morning the Italian missed out on a top 10 place by a whisker and he had to work his way through Q1 in the early afternoon, which he did brilliantly with the quickest time.

The German Grand Prix gets underway tomorrow at 14.00 CET and will be held over a distance of 30 laps.

Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team #99): 3rd (1’20.327)

“I’m really pleased with my lap time and a front row position and I would have signed on the dotted line for a qualifying result like this if I had known before arriving here at the Sachsenring. I even think I could have improved on my time and fought for the pole with Marquez if I hadn’t made a small mistake in the final corner, losing a little bit of precious time. I’m working well with my team but the race will be a long and very difficult one, so it’ll be important to make the right choice of tyre, get a good start and save some energy for the final stages. In any case we are set up well and I think that tomorrow we can fight for the podium and maybe even for the win.”

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team #04): 5th (1’20.444)

“All in all today went well, even though this morning we just missed out on getting into the top 10 by a few thousandths of a second. We tried various set-ups but the grip drops off so much that it’s difficult to have precise feedback. In any case in the FP4 session we lapped in line with the other riders who used new tyres, demonstrating that we had a good pace. Then we stayed calm during Q1, where we ended up with the quickest time, and we went through Q2 without any problems in fifth, which earned us an important row 2 start. For the race we are fast for sure but the unknown factor for everyone will be tyre management and it’ll be the wear and the drop in the rear tyre that will make the real difference.”

More, from a press release issued by Monster Yamaha Tech3:

Zarco and Syahrin primed for Sachsenring comeback race

The Monster Yamaha Tech3 racing duo has to launch the German GP tomorrow at 14.00 local time from the fifth and the sixth row respectively. Johann Zarco lowered his practice time from Friday morning by 1.431 seconds during Qualifying today but was unfortunately missing out on Q2 by just 0.116 seconds as the premier class features an incredible close field on the shortest track of the calendar.

On the other side of the Monster Yamaha Tech3 garage, Hafizh Syahrin faces the hard task to learn the unique circuit aboard the Yamaha YZR-M1 in the course of this weekend. The Malaysian rookie did well in improving by more than 1.5 seconds from Friday morning to Saturday afternoon and eventually, has to attack from the sixth row of the starting grid tomorrow.

Johann Zarco

Position: 14th – Time: 1’21.059 – Laps: 8

“Today has been a tricky day. I don’t really understand what is going wrong. It’s very difficult to go fast and improve myself during the weekend. So, tomorrow in the race I will fight and see where I can finish, but it’s a truly complicate moment that I hope we can overcome soon.”

Hafizh Syahrin

Position: 18th – Time: 1’21.460 – Laps: 8

“In the afternoon I felt better than this morning, as in FP3 I tried to find a good setup and was struggling a bit. Anyway, for the two sessions after lunch time, the team found the best bike for me, which I used in FP4 and with which I also tried to make a long-run to be well prepared for the race. In the last exit of the Qualifying I was a bit nervous, but I believed that I could go 0.2 or 0.3 seconds faster and therefore, we would have been able to fight for the top 15. Yet, we were very close. I try to make a good start tomorrow and to do a strong race in order to score some points for the team. I hope I can fight with my fellow rookie Nakagami, who seems to be very strong here.”

More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda Idemitsu:

FOURTH ROW FOR TAKA AT SACHSENRING

LCR Honda IDEMITSU rider Takaaki Nakagami will start from the fourth row at the German Grand Prix after battling through to Q2 at the Sachsenring on Saturday. Having posted the seventh fastest time at the legendary German circuit on Friday, the Japanese talent competed impressively again today to ensure he made his second Q2 appearance of the MotoGP season.

Nakagami did find the going tougher on Saturday as he ended down in 16th position in FP3 and then 13th in FP4. But he showed his speed and battling qualities in Q1 to finish second, holding off the likes of Johann Zarco, Jack Miller and Aleix Espargaro to earn his spot in Q2. Although he had to settle for 12th position, Taka took confidence from his performance ahead of tomorrow’s race.

Takaaki Nakagami – 12th

(1’20.938 – lap 9 of 10)

“Today was quite tough after yesterday and the lap times were really tight. The good thing was that I started in Q1 and made it into Q2, that is really positive for me. In Q2 I did my best to get a good result, but the lap times were so tight and I made a few mistakes. But I tried my hardest and tomorrow we’ll start from 12th position which is not so bad”.

“It’s going to be a really strong race because this track is really short, but there are 30 laps. I think everybody is struggling on the rear grip, we’ll have to decide which tyre to use although we’re still not decided. We’ll see after the warm-up.”