Marc Marquez breaks Sachsenring record for pole, Bezzecchi fractures clavicle in Q2 crash

Record lap for Marquez in Sachsenring qualifying

Marc Marquez delivered his third pole position of the 2026 season and ninth at the Sachsenring with a blistering 1:19.041, breaking the circuit record. The Ducati rider opted for three flying attacks in Q2 instead of the usual two, a strategy he later called effective. "The team was surprised by my choice, but I felt I could do it on this track," Marquez said. "I may have lost a little in the single lap, but I gained on race pace; we'll see if that holds." His time put him 0.061 seconds clear of his brother Alex Marquez, who starts second on the Gresini Ducati.

The strategy worked. The team was surprised by this choice of mine, but I felt I could do it on this track. I'm happy because maybe today I lost something in the flying lap, but I gained on pace; we'll see later if that was the case.

Ducati sweeps the front row

Completing an all-Ducati front row, Fabio Di Giannantonio on the VR46 machine qualified third with a 1:19.188, 0.147 seconds off pole. Di Giannantonio was happy but mildly annoyed that Marc had taken the lap record from him. "It bothers me a bit that Marc stole the track record from me," he said with a laugh. "Joking aside, I'm happy with this front row; we worked well. Perhaps I could have done a little better, but on such a twisty track it's hard to be precise in every corner." Di Giannantonio sits just 16 points behind championship leader Jorge Martin and could close the gap in today's sprint.

It bothers me a bit that Marc stole the track record from me. Joking aside, I'm happy with this front row; we worked well. Perhaps I could have done a little better, but on such a twisty track it's hard to be precise in every corner.

Bezzecchi fractures collarbone in Q2 crash

The session was marked by a heavy incident for Aprilia's Marco Bezzecchi. Exiting Turn 7 at roughly 160 km/h, the Italian lost control and slid into the gravel. Medical checks at the circuit later confirmed a fracture of the right clavicle. Bezzecchi had qualified eighth with a 1:19.613 before the crash, but the injury rules him out of the remainder of the German Grand Prix weekend. He will return to Italy for treatment. Bezzecchi had already been nursing pain from a high-speed fall at Assen two weeks earlier, where he described his body being crushed "like an accordion."

I'll have to grit my teeth; I have pain everywhere.

Midfield surprises and championship leaders adrift

Behind the front three, Aprilia Trackhouse riders Raul Fernandez and Ai Ogura impressed with fourth and fifth. Fernandez, on an Aprilia, lapped in 1:19.192, a mere 0.151 seconds from pole and only 0.004 seconds from the front row. Ogura posted 1:19.348. Fabio Quartararo was the best of the rest in sixth on his Yamaha (1:19.383), ahead of Franco Morbidelli in seventh. Championship leader Jorge Martin qualified only ninth (1:19.728), while reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia endured a difficult Saturday: 13th in pre-qualifying, he had to fight through Q1 and could not do better than 11th on the grid with a 1:19.753, over seven tenths off the pace.

What comes next

The sprint race is scheduled for 15:00 local time on Saturday, followed by the full-length German Grand Prix on Sunday at 14:00. With Bezzecchi sidelined, the title chase between Martin, Di Giannantonio, and Marquez will tighten, especially if Di Giannantonio can capitalise on his front-row start. Bagnaia and Martin will need to climb through the field to limit the damage to their championship hopes.