MotoGP: Comeback complete for Marquez with Sachsenring victory

Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) took his first victory in 581 days and expanded his unbeaten run at the Sachsenring to 11. Marquez broke early and resisted pressure from Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) to fight back from the potentially career-ending injury sustained at Jerez last season.

Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) completed the podium and increased his championship advantage. Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) looked uncomfortable during the race and dropped down to eighth from pole position while his Ducati colleague Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) could not exceed P6.

The gap in the title race is up to 22 points between Quartararo and his compatriot Zarco. Miller sits 31 points adrift of the lead in third and is under increasing pressure from his teammate Francesco Bagnaia (Lenovo Ducati Team) just a single point behind him.

Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) shot into the lead from third on the grid with Marquez behind him who beat Zarco and Quatararo into T1. Marquez claimed the Aprilia through T13 on the opening lap and led over the line for the first time.

Espargaro tried to retaliate and was momentarily back in front through T12, but his opponent immediately fought back at T13. Zarco remained in third while Miller had made his way up into fourth and was swarming all over his Ducati colleague.

Oliveira found his rhythm four laps in and was the fastest rider on track, swiftly moving past Quartararo into fifth and eyeing up the two Ducatis ahead of him. The pace was relatively slow in the opening stages of the race and there was hardly anything to split the lap times of the front runners.

Miller claimed Zarco through T1 going into Lap 8 and lined up a move on Espargaro for second. As spots of rain started to fall, Marquez pulled the pin and put a gap between himself and his opponents. Miller moved past Espargaro through T1 going into Lap 10 and the Spaniard successively also fell behind Oliveira.

Zarco looked unsettled by the spits of rain and surrendered fifth to Quartararo while Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) edged ever closer to him. Oliveira beat Miller on Lap 12 and claimed second to start a hunt on race leader Marquez.

Oliveira and Marquez had superior rhythm to the rest of the field and exchanged fastest laps while Miller in third comfortably held Espargaro behind him. Espargaro fell victim to Quartatararo down the hill on Lap 17 and the Frenchman wasted no time to also claim Miller. Zarco meanwhile looked to struggle and had to surrender to Binder on Lap 18.

Oliveira was now lapping faster than Marquez and gradually decreased the gap at the front. Further behind, Binder increasingly put pressure on Espargaro and moved past the Aprilia through the final corner of Lap 23.

Marquez ran wide at T1 on Lap 4, playing into the hands of Oliveira and the gap was at one second when they crossed the line with six laps to go. The Honda’s rear tyre looked well used and tenth after tenth came down at the front. Bagnaia found serious rhythm late in the race and was in seventh, ahead of Zarco, with four laps remaining.

Marquez responded to Oliveira’s charge and the gap was back up to 1.5 seconds with three laps left to race. Oliveira’s resistance was broken and Marquez took the chequered flag for his first victory since the career-threatening injury sustained in Jerez last year.

Oliveira had to settle for second while Quartararo extended his championship lead in third. Binder was fourth from the Ducatis of Bagnaia and Miller while Espargaro crossed the line in seventh ahead of Zarco. Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) and Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda Team) completed the top 10 while Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) finished a race outside the points for the first time in his MotoGP career.