Marco Bezzecchi
Marc Marquez bagged his seventh pole of the 2025 MotoGP season at the Grand Prix of Germany on Saturday. He prevailed in a gripping battle with LCR rider Johann Zarco.
Marquez’s rivals may have been hoping for rain, which often brings chaos, in light of his imperious record at this circuit. But he remained the class of the field in sodden conditions.
The Ducati rider set a 1:27.811 to outpace Zarco, who won in similar weather at Le Mans earlier this year, by a tenth and a half. Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi completed the front row.
Marquez took pole on his first seven MotoGP visits to the Sachsenring between 2013 and 2019. He extends his all-time record to 73.
Luigi Dall’Igna told Marc Marquez to be careful at turn 11 at the German Grand Prix
Maverick Vinales and Jack Miller both crashed at the beginning of Q2, and Marquez nearly went down later in the session. Replays showed him having a moment at the ‘waterfall’ corner.
The only advice from absent Ducati chief Luigi Dall’Igna coming into the weekend was to ‘take care’ at turn 11 (via Mat Oxley). He was content for the rider to ‘do what you want’ elsewhere.
As Neil Hodgson noted in TNT Sports‘ coverage, Marquez didn’t take that warning on board. He could be seen gesturing to himself to calm down after the save.
The then-Gresini rider fractured his finger and bruised his ribs in an accident at the same corner at the 2024 German Grand Prix.
“Is it going to slide?” Hodgson said. “There she goes! It’s where he crashed last year. [Luigi Dall’Igna] has warned him!”
Speaking after qualifying, Marquez explained. “In wet conditions, everything is tricky, especially that turn 11. You arrive with one feeling on the bike with super good grip on that left corner, and then when you jump to the right side, you expect the same feeling, but it’s a completely different riding style.”
Marc Marquez follows Francesco Bagnaia’s Sachsenring advice
Marquez was surprisingly outpaced by Fabio di Giannantonio on Friday afternoon, but the VR46 rider wasn’t a factor in the rain. He qualified down in eighth place.
Chief competitor Zarco had the unexpected advantage of having to progress through Q1. That meant he could familiarise himself with conditions, but it still wasn’t enough to beat Marquez.
Coming into the weekend, Francesco Bagnaia said Marquez had to keep the pressure ‘on himself’. It was clear how hard he was pushing during qualifying.
Marquez claims that he’ll play the championship game in the races, with nearest challenger Alex starting down in sixth. Zarco and Bezzecchi have little to lose, but it’s also true that Marc has a commanding 68-point advantage.
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