Sunday
MotoGP
Fabio Quartararo has won a Liqui Moly Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland which could well be looked back as a crucial race in the 2022 MotoGP™ World Championship title fight. The Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™ rider not only scored consecutive victories for the first time this year but is now 34 points clear at the top of the standings. Aprilia Racing’s Aleix Espargaro remains second in the title race after finishing fourth at the Sachsenring but the Ducati Lenovo Team’s Francesco Bagnaia has a mountain to climb after he crashed out while chasing Quartararo on Lap 4.
From that point on, Quartararo asserted himself in a dominant display to win by almost five seconds after 30 laps, with Prima Pramac Racing’s Johann Zarco finishing a lonely second. There was some solace for the Ducati Lenovo Team in the form of Jack Miller, who fought back from a Long Lap penalty to earn the final place on the podium, while the Mooney VR46 Racing Team’s Luca Marini grabbed fifth on another Desmosedici.
In the World Championship, Quartararo is not only a race clear of Aleix Espargaro but more than two (61 points, to be precise) up on Zarco. Bagnaia has dropped to sixth on the table, a full 91 points off the pace, to be in a tie with Ducati team-mate Miller.
2022 German MotoGP Results
| 1 | Fabio Quartararo | (Yam) | |
| 2 | Johann Zarco | (Duc) | + 4.939 |
| 3 | Jack Miller | (Duc) | + 8.372 |
| 4 | Aleix Espargaro | (Apr) | + 9.113 |
| 5 | Luca Marini | (Duc) | + 11.679 |
| 6 | Jorge Martin | (Duc) | + 13.164 |
| 7 | Brad Binder | (KTM) | + 15.405 |
| 8 | F. Di Giannantonio | (Duc) | + 15.851 |
| 9 | Miguel Oliveira | (KTM) | + 19.740 |
| 10 | Enea Bastianini | (Duc) | + 21.611 |
Moto2
Augusto Fernandez has dominated the Moto2™ Race at the Liqui Moly Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland while Pedro Acosta made it a Red Bull KTM Ajo one-two after a thrilling, four-rider battle for the minor placings. Fernandez hit the front on Lap 6 at the Sachsenring and led by as much as nine seconds before he eased off on the 28th and final lap. Pole-sitter Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) passed Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP) on the penultimate tour to snare the final podium place while World Championship leader Celestino Vietti (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) failed to score points after crashing out of 11th position.
In the World Championship, Vietti is still on top, but his gap over Ogura has been cut to just eight points. Fernandez’s win puts him into third at only 12 points back from the Italian, and Canet also chipped away to sit 17 points off the pace at the halfway mark of the season.
2022 German Moto2 Results
| 1 | Augusto Fernandez | (Kal) | 28 laps |
| 2 | Pedro Acosta | (Kal) | + 7.704 |
| 3 | Sam Lowes | (Kal) | + 7.844 |
| 4 | Marcel Schrotter | (Kal) | + 7.959 |
| 5 | Fermín Aldeguer | (Bos) | + 11.169 |
| 13 | Joe Roberts | (Kal) | + 21.789 |
| 14 | Cameron Beaubier | (Kal) | + 23.127 |
| 17 | Sean Dylan Kelly | (Kal) | + 39.217 |
Moto3
The GASGAS Aspar Team’s Izan Guevara has run away with victory in the Moto3™ Race at the Liqui Moly Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland. The Spaniard had qualified on pole position and he led all 27 laps around the Sachsenring, taking the chequered flag 4.853 seconds up on the field to seal his second win – and fifth podium – in a row. Leopard Racing’s Dennis Foggia finished runner-up after World Championship leader Sergio Garcia failed to make a move stick at the final corner, but the latter still made it two GASGAS Aspar Team entries on the rostrum.
2022 German Moto3 Results
| 1 | Izan Guevara | (GASGAS) | |
| 2 | Dennis Foggia | (Hon) | + 4.853 |
| 3 | Sergio Garcia | (GASGAS) | + 4.964 |
| 4 | Ayumu Sasaki | (Hus) | + 5.941 |
| 5 | Tatsuki Suzuki | (Hon) | + 9.081 |
2022 German MotoGP News—Saturday
Marquez hoping for return – in 2022
Marc Marquez and his Repsol Honda team are hoping the eight-time World Champion will be back in the saddle in 2022 after the rider received some positive news at a hospital visit in Madrid.
The Catalan had a first check up on his right arm and shoulder since a humeral osteotomy was carried out in Minnesota, USA at the start of June. His recovery from the procedure, which rotated his right humerus a staggering 30 degrees, as well as removing multiple screws from previous operations, was deemed “positive”. “My feelings so far are positive because I have no pain, this is very important,” said Marquez. “It allows me to rest and follow the doctors’ rules: a healthy diet, drink a lot and try to hang out with our dogs because it is important that the body is not inactive.”
Despite acknowledging patience is key, Marquez’s Repsol Honda Team Manager Alberto Puig admitted he is hopeful his rider will return before the season’s end. “I don’t know (when), but it will be very important for Marc to test the new bike and at the end of the season (and) we have tests that are very important for next year,” he said in Germany.
Ducati push back factory decision
Bosses at Ducati have pushed back the deadline for a decision on who gets the second seat in its factory team for 2023, but Sporting Director Paolo Ciabatti confirmed it will come down to two riders and two riders alone.
Despite rumors Joan Mir could also be in play for the seat, Ciabatti said it’s a straight shootout between Jorge Martin and Enea Bastianini to replace the outgoing Jack Miller. “We would like to take some time and probably wait for the second race in August to assess the situation,” he said. “The target was to have Enea and Jorge with us next year. We reached that target. Now to decide who goes in the factory team, we would like to give Jorge also a bit more of a chance riding the bike without physical problems.”
Ciabatti also confirmed the factory is close to confirming an extension for Johann Zarco in the Pramac squad for 2023. “We have plenty of competitive riders within Ducati today and we need to make the best choice between them.”
RNF 2023 rider line up wide open
The rumor mill went into overdrive in Germany regarding rider movements for 2023. Up to six names have been linked to the RNF Aprilia seats, including Miguel Oliveira, whose reported move to Gresini hit a snag over his personal sponsor Hyundai and Ducati, which is owned by Audi. Alex Rins, Raul Fernandez, Remy Gardner, Darryn Binder and Celestino Vietti were also mentioned as possible signings to Aprilia’s new satellite team.
“There are so many riders in the market right now, we can afford to wait,” said team owner Razlan Razali. “We will stick to a combination of a young rider and an experienced rider.” The Malaysian then went on to rule out signing a rider outside MotoGP. “There are a couple of young riders (of interest) in MotoGP like Darryn Binder, so there is no point looking at Moto2 riders,” he said.
But ruling out Vietti came as a surprise to Aprilia CEO Massimo Rivola. When Razali’s comments were put to him, an exasperated Italian said, “Did Razlan say that? Then I need to speak to him!”
Saturday
MotoGP
The Ducati Lenovo Team’s Francesco Bagnaia has carried his superb MotoGP™ Free Practice form into qualifying for the Liqui Moly Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland as he secured pole position. The Italian was the only rider who could get into the 1:19s in Q2 at the Sachsenring – a 1:19.931, specifically – although the front row was still covered by less than a tenth of a second, proving just how close the category is. Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™ rider Fabio Quartararo has given himself a good chance of extending his World Championship lead by claiming second on the starting grid for Sunday’s race in Germany, and he will have Prima Pramac Racing’s Johann Zarco alongside him also.
There were three different makes in the top four thanks in part to Aprilia Racing’s Aleix Espargaro, but seven of the Bologna bullets made it into the second stanza of qualifying and six of those got into the top eight. Fabio Di Giannantonio (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) topped Q1 before claiming fifth in Q2, ahead of Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team), Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team), and Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing).
2022 German MotoGP Results—Saturday
| 1 | Francesco Bagnaia | (Duc) | 1:19.931 |
| 2 | Fabio Quartararo | (Yam) | + 0.076 |
| 3 | Johann Zarco | (Duc) | + 0.099 |
| 4 | Aleix Espargaro | (Apr) | + 0.189 |
| 5 | F. Di Giannantonio | (Duc) | + 0.197 |
| 6 | Jack Miller | (Duc) | + 0.219 |
| 7 | Luca Marini | (Duc) | + 0.237 |
| 8 | Jorge Martin | (Duc) | + 0.288 |
| 9 | Maverick Viñales | (Duc) | + 0.537 |
| 10 | Takaaki Nakagami | (Hon) | + 0.631 |
Moto2
Elf Marc VDS Racing Team’s Sam Lowes has claimed the Moto2™ pole position at the Liqui Moly Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland by a solid, 0.272-second margin. In scorching conditions at the Sachsenring, the Briton went as quick as a 1:23.493 to give himself the best possible chance of ending a run of six rounds in a row without points. The GASGAS Aspar Team’s Albert Arenas got a first intermediate class front row with the second-fastest time in Q2 and Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Augusto Fernandez grabbed third on the grid, while World Championship leader Celestino Vietti (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) made Row 3.
2022 German Moto2 Results—Saturday
| 1 | Sam Lowes | (Kal) | 1:23.493 |
| 2 | Albert Arenas | (GASGAS) | + 0.272 |
| 3 | Augusto Fernandez | (Kal) | + 0.332 |
| 4 | Jake Dixon | (GASGAS) | + 0.404 |
| 5 | Marcel Schrotter | (Kal) | + 0.420 |
| 9 | Joe Roberts | (Kal) | + 0.641 |
| 10 | Cameron Beaubier | (Kal) | + 0.729 |
| 23 | Sean Dylan Kelly | Kal | + 1.043 |
Moto3
GASGAS Aspar Team’s Izan Guevara has continued his purple patch with the Moto3™ pole position at the Liqui Moly Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland. Fresh off breaking the All Time Lap Record in FP3 at the Sachsenring, he did it again in Q2 when he set a 1:25.869, 0.295 seconds quicker than anyone else could go. Leopard Racing’s Dennis Foggia was the best of the rest and Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Daniel Holgado will join them on the front row.
2022 German Moto3 Results—Saturday
| 1 | Izan Guevara | (GASGAS) | 1:25.869 |
| 2 | Dennis Foggia | (Hon) | + 0.295 |
| 3 | Daniel Holgado | (Kal) | + 0.320 |
| 4 | Ayumu Sasaki | (Hus) | + 0.430 |
| 5 | Tatsuki Suzuki | (Hon) | + 0.456 |
2022 German MotoGP News—Friday
Miller explains KTM switch
Thursday was Jack Miller’s first interaction with the media since his switch to KTM for 2023 was confirmed. The Australian cited his good relations with Aki Ajo, his personal manager, and a mainstay at the Austrian factory, and Team Manager Francesco Guidotti – formerly Miller’s head at Pramac Ducati – as key to the move.
“You don’t have to be a mind-reader to work out that I have a good relationship over there with Aki being my manager and Francesco… Going back there the decision was influenced by knowing the structure over there and with Francesco. I was weighing up my options and at my age I’ve done a lot but I still have a lot to give. There was a lot that went into it.”
The 27-year-old also mentioned the lure of a two-year contract as a reason. At Ducati, he has only ever had one-year deals.
Aleix’s pick me up
A fortnight on from the most embarrassing moment of his career, Aleix Espargaro opened up on his last lap faux pas at his home GP. The frustration in the days after the Catalan GP, where he threw away second place after celebrating one lap early, as nothing like he had ever felt, he said. Only a family trip to Euro Disney in Paris helped him relax.
“My feelings after the mistake were something very strange,” he said. “I couldn’t sleep on Tuesday, I couldn’t sleep on Wednesday, I was angry during the lunch time with my wife, I never sincerely felt like this. I don’t know why I felt like this. Because this season has been extremely good, everything is fantastic in my life, but I reacted like that. So I decided to switch off everything, take the plane and go to Disneyland Paris.”
Was this reaction a consequence of fighting for the title for the first time? “It’s possible, the pressure, that experience of this year I never had before,” he conceded. “How old is Fabio? 23? He can win 10 titles. I don’t think I can win titles at 40 years old. The opportunity that I have this year I’m very focused to try to use it. Maybe this is the reason.”
Taka’s mea culpa
Takaaki Nakagami was passed fit for the German GP less than a fortnight after his first corner mistake in Barcelona wiped out Pecco Bagnaia and Alex Rins. The Japanese rider revealed he was caught unawares by the suction effect of the slipstream felt when behind Bagnaia’s Ducati.
“I didn’t make any mistake in the braking point,” he said after seeking Bagnaia and Rins out in the paddock to personally apologize. “The braking point was totally under control, but I had a big slipstream behind Pecco. I didn’t expect that so I couldn’t stop well.” The same happened to Rins when behind Bagnaia during the French GP, which caused him to run off at turn one and crash.
Like Bagnaia, Rins accepted the apology. On Thursday the Spaniard also walked back some of his harder comments for the FIM Stewards, headed by Freddie Spencer. “Saying that Freddie is too old, for sure they were not the correct words,” he said, believing his criticisms were a consequence of “a lot of emotion, adrenaline,” after the crash. He requested the Stewards attend the Safety Commission on Fridays during race weekends so they can interact with riders directly.
Friday
MotoGP
The Ducati Lenovo Team’s Francesco Bagnaia has come tantalizingly close to the 1:19s as he broke the All Time Lap Record in MotoGP FP2 at the 2022 German MotoGP. The Italian fired in a 1:20.018 to establish a new benchmark around the Sachsenring as Ducati riders locked out the top three in the afternoon session for the premier class. The Mooney VR46 Racing Team’s Luca Marini grabbed second and the FP1 pace-setter, Jack Miller, took third on the other factory-entered Desmosedici, with Aprilia Racing’s Aleix Espargaro the best of the rest.
2022 German MotoGP Results—Friday
| 1 | Francesco Bagnaia | (Duc) | 1:20.018 |
| 2 | Luca Marini | (Duc) | + 0.115 |
| 3 | Jack Miller | (Duc) | + 0.193 |
| 4 | Aleix Espargaro | (Apr) | + 0.201 |
| 5 | Johann Zarco | (Duc) | + 0.246 |
| 6 | Jorge Martin | (Duc) | + 0.257 |
| 7 | Fabio Quartararo | (Yam) | + 0.381 |
| 8 | Maverick Viñales | (Apr) | + 0.460 |
| 9 | F. Di Giannantonio | (Duc) | + 0.527 |
| 10 | Joan Mir | (Suz) | + 0.556 |
Moto2
Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Augusto Fernandez is the rider to beat after topping both Moto2™ Free Practice sessions on the opening day of the Liqui Moly Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland by big margins. He raised the bar by setting a 1:24.023 in FP2, with team-mate Pedro Acosta next-best and Fermin Aldeguer (MB Conveyors Speed Up) making it an all-Spanish top three after the first two sessions for the intermediate class at the Sachsenring. On the other hand, the World Championship leader, Italian Celestino Vietti (Mooney VR46 Racing Team), is currently a considerable way outside the provisional Q2 cut-off.
2022 German Moto2 Results—Friday
| 1 | Augusto Fernandez | (Kal) | 1:24.023 |
| 2 | Pedro Acosta | (Kal) | + 0.470 |
| 3 | Fermín Aldeguer | (Bos) | + 0.478 |
| 4 | Sam Lowes | (Kal) | + 0.534 |
| 5 | Jake Dixon | (Kal) | + 0.577 |
| 10 | Joe Roberts | (Kal) | + 0.673 |
| 21 | Sean Dylan Kelly | (Kal) | +1.334 |
| 23 | Cameron Beaubier | (Kal) | +1.381 |
Moto3
Leopard Racing’s Tatsuki Suzuki has taken over the ascendancy in Moto3™ after FP2 at the Liqui Moly Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland. The Japanese rider became fastest overall through the two lightweight class sessions so far at the Sachsenring when he set a 1:26.363, while team-mate Dennis Foggia took third. The GASGAS Aspar Team’s Izan Guevara is through to Q2 as it stands, but his World Championship-leading team-mate Sergio Garcia has a little bit of work ahead of him in FP3 if he wants to do likewise.
2022 German Moto3 Results—Friday
| 1 | Tatsuki Suzuki | (Hon) | 1:26.363 |
| 2 | Izan Guevara | (GasGas) | + 0.096 |
| 3 | Dennis Foggia | (Hon) | + 0.062 |
| 4 | Joel Kelso | (KTM) | + 0.245 |
| 5 | John McPhee | (Hus) | + 0.328 |
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