Pol Espargaro explains why Marc Marquez’s German GP crash was not the same as Franco Morbidelli’s

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Former MotoGP star Pol Espargaro has explained why Marc Marquez’s crash during FP1 at the German Grand Prix was not caused by the same track issue as Franco Morbidelli’s, despite both incidents occurring at the same corner.

Within the first 10 minutes of the first practice session at the German Grand Prix, Marc Marquez found himself in the gravel trap at turn three after coming off his Ducati bike on the Spaniard’s very first push lap of the weekend.

The reigning world champion adores the Sachsenring circuit, having won at the circuit a record nine times in the premier class, but he has also felt the wrath of the German race track after a nightmare round there in 2023.

Fortunately, Marquez was able to get on his spare bike and see out the rest of the day’s running, notching the second-best time in FP1 and recording the benchmark in the pre-qualifying practice session.

• READ MORE: MotoGP practice results as Marc Marquez sets the pace at German GP but Francesco Bagnaia in Q1

Pol Espargaro explains why Marc Marquez’s Sachsenring crash was not the same as Franco Morbidelli’s

Marquez wasn’t the only rider to be caught out by the change in elevation at turn three, with VR46’s Franco Morbidelli and Moto2 rider Celestino Vietti also coming off their respective bikes at the same complex of corners.

“We need to distinguish Marc’s crash from the others,” Pol Espargaro said on DAZN’s live coverage, with quotes via Motosan. “He doesn’t actually touch the inside kerb. When he hits the throttle, the front end lifts off, and the bike closes up due to that loss of weight.”

The same can’t be said for Vietti and Morbidelli, however, as they looked to be using too much of the race track as they entered the third corner of the 2.281-mile-long circuit.

“They happened because [Vietti and Morbidelli] rode over the inside section – the white line and the kerb – and there’s a slight unevenness there which, at maximum lean angle, causes a bit of vibration,” Espargaro said.

• READ MORE: German Grand Prix predictions as MotoGP experts rate Marc Marquez chances and Marco Bezzecchi target

Marc Marquez says Sachsenring bosses will fix turn three bump for 2027

During Marquez’s post-session comments to the press, he detailed how officials have told him that the bump at turn three should be fixed by next year’s edition of the race in Saxony.

Speaking via the Spanish edition of Motorsport.com, the reigning world champion said, “At the point where I fell, there’s a bump, and I hadn’t analysed the Moto2 and Moto3 crashes.

The bump on the circuit has apparently surfaced following track officials’ resurfacing that section of the circuit since the MotoGP grid was in town for the 2025 iteration of the German Grand Prix.

“When there’s something new, I’m the first to try it, even the potholes,” he joked, before mentioning, “They’ve told us they’ll fix it by next year.”