Marc Marquez conquered treacherous wet conditions to secure his first pole position of the 2025 MotoGP season during qualifying at a rain-drenched Sachsenring.
The factory Ducati star was in dominant form, managing the twitchy, sliding Desmosedici with remarkable control. Though Honda’s Johann Zarco briefly closed the gap to just 0.065s on his penultimate lap, Marquez responded immediately to stretch his margin to 0.151s, confirming pole.
Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi was set to join the front row until a last-lap crash at Turn 8 handed third place to Zarco. Row two will feature Franco Morbidelli, Pedro Acosta, and Alex Marquez, who is still managing a hand injury.
Zarco and Maverick Vinales advanced from Qualifying 1, but Vinales suffered a heavy highside on his out-lap in Q2 and failed to set a time. Jack Miller suffered a similar crash at Turn 4 but managed to return on his second bike to take ninth.
Fabio Quartararo, who has already claimed four poles this season in dry conditions, salvaged seventh after a slow start. His team-mate Francesco Bagnaia struggled in the wet and could only manage 11th.
The 15-lap Sprint race begins at 3pm local time, with Marquez aiming for a ninth career victory at the Sachsenring and his first German win since 2021. The anti-clockwise circuit’s layout, with ten left-hand corners and just three right-handers, has historically suited Marquez’s style.
Marquez holds a 68-point lead over his brother Alex in the standings, with Bagnaia 56 points further behind in third as the season reaches its halfway mark.
Enea Bastianini is missing the round due to appendicitis, while Luca Marini returns after a long injury layoff. Somkiat Chantra is also out following knee surgery, with no replacement for this round. Takaaki Nakagami will substitute at Brno next week.
Aprilia’s Lorenzo Savadori continues to stand in for Jorge Martin, who plans to return at Brno after a successful test in Misano earlier this week.
Heavy rain continues to loom over the weekend, with Saturday expected to bring the worst conditions yet.
