Marc Marquez delivered a thrilling final-lap pass on Marco Bezzecchi to win a rain-soaked German MotoGP Sprint race at the Sachsenring.
Starting from pole, Marquez initially led into Turn 1 but ran wide, allowing Bezzecchi to take the lead ahead of Franco Morbidelli and Fabio Quartararo. Morbidelli’s challenge ended with a heavy crash at Turn 8 — the same corner he fell at in qualifying.
Quartararo and Marquez began closing the gap to Bezzecchi, while Pedro Acosta ran off-track and dropped to tenth. Marquez passed Quartararo at the halfway point and began chasing down the Aprilia rider.
Bezzecchi held a 1.5-second advantage, but Marquez reeled him in and executed the decisive overtake between Turns 1 and 2 on the final lap.
Quartararo held on to finish third, claiming his and Yamaha’s first Sprint podium of the season.
With brother Alex finishing eighth, Marquez extended his championship lead beyond the 68-point margin he held before the race. Francesco Bagnaia lost more ground after finishing 12th, outside the points.
All riders chose soft rear tyres for the wet Sprint, except Johann Zarco and Luca Marini, who gambled on the medium rear. The decision didn’t pay off as Zarco finished seventh.
Weather conditions are expected to improve for Sunday’s grand prix, offering hope of a dry race.
Tech3 KTM had no representation on the grid — Enea Bastianini remains out with appendicitis, and Maverick Vinales withdrew due to a shoulder injury sustained in qualifying.
HRC’s Luca Marini returned after recovering from multiple injuries sustained in a Superbike crash at Suzuka. Meanwhile, LCR’s Somkiat Chantra is sidelined following knee surgery and will not be replaced this weekend. Takaaki Nakagami will fill in at Brno.
Aprilia’s Lorenzo Savadori continues to stand in for injured champion Jorge Martin, who is expected to return next weekend at Brno.
Rain has been a constant threat this weekend, with Saturday delivering the worst conditions so far.
