2021 MotoGP Round Eight Sachsenring

Qualifying

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Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) pulled a fast one in qualifying at the Liqui Moly Motorrrad Grand Prix Deutschland, the Frenchman just pipping compatriot Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) to pole position by 0.011 – and that despite a late crash. Quartararo is therefore denied a record six in a row for a Yamaha rider but will start second, with Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) stealing a few headlines in third as he gave Aprilia their best qualifying in the MotoGP era and since 2000.

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MotoGP Qualifying Quotes

Johann Zarco – P1

“I am very happy, it is a nice sensation to be in the Pole position at the Sachsenring. This is a difficult track for Ducati and me, but the bike’s potential is so high that we are obtaining good results. Tomorrow we will need to be careful with the usage of the tires, but to start from Pole I hope is what will give me that extra help.”

Fabio Quartararo – P2

“It was really tough. I was not feeling so good on the bike today, actually the whole weekend we‘ve been struggling a little bit, like all Yamahas. But I managed to get in a quite good lap. On my first lap of the second run there were many riders on track, but I managed to do a good second lap and we’re not far from pole. I gave my 100% and that‘s the best I could do, so I‘m happy. Tomorrow we will try to make the best possible start to the race. We have a good pace, so we‘ll see what we can do in the race.”

Aleix Espargaro – P3

“The best thing about today was arriving in parc fermé and seeing the smiling faces of my team. Rewarding them with a good performance is more important to me than the result in and of itself. I knew I could be fast. The characteristics of the track help us and already yesterday I had good sensations. It’s true that it is still only Saturday, but starting from the front is no small advantage. The characteristics of the track definitely suit the strong points of the RS-GP, stable and highly effective in braking. It’s hard to make predictions for tomorrow. Our pace is good, but there are a lot of riders rather close, so aiming for the top 5 seems like the most realistic thing to do.”

Jack Miller – P4

“I was expecting to do a little bit more today in qualifying, but we were unfortunate as, on both of my two flying laps with the soft tyre, I found the yellow flags. Anyway, we will start from the second row, and I am sure that this will allow us to fight for a good result. This was meant to be a difficult track for us on paper, but Zarco’s pole position also proved that our bike is working well here. So I am confident for tomorrow’s race”.

Marc Marquez – P5

“The focus was not on taking pole today, we know our situation and what is realistic because over one lap we are struggling. Qualifying was acceptable, we did a good first lap and then it was hard to improve with all the yellow flags. Our race pace isn’t too bad, we are closer to the front than at other circuits, but I still think they have a little something extra at the moment. It’s a lot of laps and it looks like it will be very hot again, I’m feeling less physical limitations than before so I don’t think this will be a big issue for us – it will be demanding for everyone.”

Miguel Oliveira – P6

“It was a bit chaotic today. I felt good with the bike in Q2 but couldn’t make any clean laps so I was a bit disappointed by that and our strategy which means the second row. The pace is there, and we are one of the strongest so we need a good start tomorrow, to hold our position and maintain the tire life to be able to fight for a long race.”

Jorge Martín – P7

“I am very happy, we have taken a huge step forward since yesterday. Already from FP3, I was feeling much better than yesterday and I knew that I could push harder. Tomorrow I will try to fight to remain in the leading group.”

Pol Espargaro – P8

“The lap where I crashed in FP3, I was certainly on to challenge for Q2. Pushing with two tyres in Q1 and one new tyre in Q2 was difficult, we had to risk a lot. I am going to do whatever it needs to be on the top, I finished eighth in Qualifying and one tenth off Marc but I can’t be happy with eighth. Sure we came through Q1, but I want more and I want to be on top. It’s not a bad day overall, let’s see what happens tomorrow in the race as everyone is very close.”

Takaaki Nakagami – P9

“I had a crash in the last minutes but P9 is good and from the third row we still have a chance to fight in the race. We definitely have good pace for the race and we were working on that in FP4, putting on new tyres and it was looking good. We’re ready to make a great race and hopefully we can get a good result.”

Francesco Bagnaia – P10

“Unfortunately, today, I found a lot of traffic in qualifying that hindered me, preventing me from taking advantage of my flying lap with the soft tyre. We will start from the fourth row with the tenth fastest time, so getting a good start will be really important. This morning and in FP4, we showed good pace, so if we can be in the front group from the beginning of the race, I’m sure we can fight for the top five positions”.

Alex Rins – P11

“The issue I had in FP3 was with the engine, so I went straight to the box and got the second bike so I didn’t lose much time. But after that I made a few mistakes, I didn’t really get a quick lap and it meant I couldn’t get into Q2 directly. But then in Q1 I felt great and I was able to push well to make it into the Top 2 and get through to final qualifying. But I’m a bit disappointed and angry with Q2 because some riders were going very slowly, almost stopping on the track and this is something we always speak about in the Safety Commission. We are MotoGP riders and we have to set the example for the younger riders, yet I found a big group of riders going slowly during the final laps of Q2. Anyway, I’ll start 11th on the grid and even if it won’t be easy to overtake, I want to work hard and get the best result possible despite my wrist injury.”

Álex Márquez – P12

“It was a good day in general. We made a step forward, there is still margin to improve in some sectors, but the rhythm is not bad for the race. During Q2, I was not riding like I needed to ride, I gave 100 percent, but I was not taking 100 percent from the bike. I made too many mistakes, so I want to say sorry to my team for that. Anyway, I think we need to take the many positives that there were today and keep going like this. Tomorrow will be a long, tough race for everybody and we need to be really active from the beginning.”

Brad Binder – P13

“I’m happy with the improvements I made in FP4 but when it came to qualification something didn’t feel quite right. There was an issue with the left side of the front tire and we need to have a look at it. I pushed as hard as I could and then came in to try and new one. I wanted another time attack but the same issue came up. We’ll have a look but in general I’m happy with the better pace from the day. I’m still not quite fast enough but I’m consistent. Hopefully tomorrow I can find the final step-up I need.”

Luca Marini – P14

“I think we have to be satisfied with this P14, it’s a good result for us and we are only half a second off pole time. We have done a good job with the team, we are fast, we have reduced the gap to the leaders and tomorrow we have a very tough race ahead of us. It will be difficult on the medium tires, we are all very close and it will be crucial to start well and manage the first few laps.”

Enea Bastianini – P15

“It was a good day. This morning I didn’t set my best time and I didn’t understand why I couldn’t push like I wanted to. However, in qualifying I was able to set a good time and I felt strong. We still have some work to do, but I feel ready for tomorrow’s race.”

Valentino Rossi – P16

“Today was better because I was able to improve the pace, I felt more comfortable on the bike and, in the end, the time attack was not too bad. Finally I will start P16 because everyone is really strong and it’s very close between all the riders. You can see this because there are a lot of good names further down the grid. Now we need to understand what conditions will be tomorrow, so that we can make the right tyre choice because it is very open at the moment. It is going to be a long race, because the circuit is short, which makes things difficult. This is also a physically demanding track, so we know it will be hard.”

Joan Mir – P17

“Today has been a day to forget, but also a day to learn. We made a step compared to yesterday, but my feeling with the bike isn’t right – I’m not able to push how I want or stop the bike well and I’m really losing a lot in the last sector. It’s a shame because I’m not riding badly, but with this lack of feeling it’s making everything a struggle, so we need to fix a few things. In Q1 it was quite a mess, a lot of yellow flags and distractions, so it was very tough to set a quick time. We’ll keep trying and hope to fix it tomorrow morning, I will stay motivated and positive because we’re not far off; we’re just missing something. I trust in myself and I know our bike has more potential. I’ll give it 100%.”

Franco Morbidelli – P18

“Today I was not the fastest on track and I was doing everything I could to get into Q2, but I needed to be on the limit to do it. Unfortunately I went over the limit in the last corner and crashed – I’m okay though. It’s a pity because it means I will start 18th, but I am happy with the feeling that I have with the bike and the speed we had in FP4. We know the race tomorrow will not be an easy one, but we will try to do our best to be as competitive as we can. There are some areas of the track where I am losing time, but I do feel great with the bike, so let’s see where we can end up. We know it will be difficult, but we will try.”

Danilo Petrucci – P19

“It was not an easy qualifying. I found some traffic when I was improving my lap time. On top of that, my setup didn’t feel perfect, as I felt some strange vibrations and therefore it wasn’t possible to improve the lap time. I’m pretty confident regarding my race pace, although we start really far back. I still think that we can have a good race tomorrow.”

Iker Lecuona – P20

“Overall, it was a difficult day. In the morning, I went wide in turn one as I made a mistake on the brakes and I had a small crash. I struggled quite a lot. Finally, in FP4 we tried something on the base setting in order to improve for the race. This was a success and we went a few tenths quicker. So, this is positive for tomorrow. In Qualifying I tried to push at my maximum. On my fast lap, I did a small mistake again and crashed in turn one. Luckily, I’m fine. Q1 was pretty tight, I just lost half a second to the front. Tomorrow in the race, we will see what we can do but I’m convinced we can fight for the top 10.”

Maverick Vinales – P21

“I don‘t exactly know where the problem lies, but we are working on it. It‘s difficult to say anything else about it at the moment. We are trying, working on the bike. We are working on corner speed as well. We are struggling on that point, the turning of the bike. We will keep going and improving, and then we will see what we can do tomorrow.”

Lorenzo Savadori – P22

“First of all, let me congratulate Aleix and Aprilia for the front row – an extraordinary and well-deserved result. As for me, I am disappointed and angry about the crash in qualifying. I must apologise to my team because it was my mistake, when we had a solid chance of taking a step forward. My neck hurts a little, but hopefully this won’t limit me tomorrow.”

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Q1

A frantic Q1 full of superstars eventually saw Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) progress through to Q2 in Germany, with Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) marginally missing out and Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) both some way off moving through. For Mir it’s his worst qualifying of the season after he was P17, now moving up one after a penalty for another rider, and for Viñales it’s 21st and penultimate on the grid after his worst qualifying in MotoGP.

The penalty, meanwhile, was a three-place grid drop for Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama) after he was found to be riding slowly on the racing line, creating some drama for an angry Danilo Petrucci (Tech3 KTM Factory Racing). In addition, Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) crashed at the final corner, Lorenzo Savadori (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) crashed at Turn 12 and Iker Lecuona (Tech 3 KTM Factory Racing) crashed at Turn 1.

Q2

As the Q2 session got underway, it was immediately clear that Quartararo had strong speed, as he dropped the best lap to a 1:20.4. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) was initially second, ahead of Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing), but that would shuffle after the final push.

As the closing stages of the session came onto the horizon, it looked like Quartararo had done enough, but it would prove to not be the case as Zarco sliced round the Sachsenring with the lap of his life to hustle his Ducati to the top – by just 0.011. The double Moto2 World Champion then went in pursuit of another hot laptime too but as Zarco tipped into Turn 5, he tucked the front and crashed out of contention, bringing out the yellow flags.

That was also true after a crash late on at Turn 1 for Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu), and Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) – the last man on a push – was forced to settle for fourth as he rolled out.

The Grid

Zarco starts ahead of Quartararo after Ducati’s first pole at the Sachsenring since 2008 with Casey Stoner, and it’s the first French 1-2 since Brno 2020 too. Completing the front row is Aleix Espargaro, taking his first front row since Assen in 2015 and giving Aprilia their first front row since MotoGP was introduced in 2002, a historic landmark for the Noale manufacturer. Espargaro is the fourth different rider to give Aprilia a front row in Grand Prix racing’s premier class.

Miller heads up Row 2, just ahead of the King of the Sachsenring: Marc Marquez. Having been eyeing up a front row place for the majority of the session, Marquez dropped to the middle of the second row by the end but it is his best qualifying position since his return. After some time looking for the ideal track position, Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) ultimately completed the second row in sixth.

Jorge Martin took P7 and makes it three Ducatis inside the top seven, whilst eighth place went to Pol Espargaro after he made it through from Q1. The number 44 was tracking Quartararo for the majority of the second half of the session. He’s joined by fellow Honda rider Takaaki Nakagami, and rounding out the top ten is Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), just over half a second from Zarco’s pole time.

Rins could only take 11th come the chequered flag, whilst 12th place went to Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol). Binder and Luca Marini (Sky VR46 Avintia) are next up, with Bastianini then shuffled back and Valentino Rossi (Petronas Yamaha SRT) gaining 15th instead.

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MotoGP Combined Times

MotoGP Championship Top Five

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Moto2

Raul Fernandez (Red Bull KTM Ajo) is back on top in Moto2 as the rookie sensation put in a new lap record in qualifying for the Liqui Moly Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland, taking over at the top from Fabio Di Giannantonio (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2), who was forced to settle for second. Championship leader Remy Gardner (Red Bull KTM Ajo) completes the front row.

Moto2 Combined Times

Moto2 Championship Top Five

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Moto3

Filip Salač (Rivacold Snipers Team) will start a Grand Prix from pole position for the first time at the Sachsenring, with the Czech rider topping Q2 at the Liqui Moly Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland by nearly two tenths. Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) takes another front row to equal his best 2021 qualifying in second, with Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) completing the front row.

The top three in the Championship all start outside the first four rows, with a charge potentially on the cards on Sunday…

Aussie Joel Kelso was taken out by Darryn Binder in the Q1 session. The South Africa exited pit-lane and barged straight into the side of Joel Kelso, but it was Binder that fared worst. He not only came down, but was then punished by officials not only by disqualification from Q2, but will also have to serve a ride-through penalty during Sunday’s race.

Moto3 Combined Times

Moto3 Championship Top Five

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2021

2021 MotoGP Round Eight Schedule Sachsenring

Source: MCNews.com.au