Written by Finn Glover, Edited by Vyas Ponnuri
Another weekend down, another chapter in what seems to be one of the tightest championship battles in MotoGP history. Coming into the weekend, rivals Jorge Martin and Francesco Bagnaia were separated by 10 points. Leaving the weekend, they were still separated by 10 points…
So what does this mean for the rest of the season? And just how important will the German Grand Prix be in choosing the outcome of the 2024 MotoGP World Championship?
How it unfolded…
Drama started on Friday, with Marc Marquez suffering numerous crashes, including a massive high-side at the notoriously fast ‘Waterfall’ corner. He came away somewhat unscathed, yet it was later announced he had indeed broken one of his index fingers.
However, he remained on the grid. Aleix Espargaro withdrew himself from the weekend's action after FP1, still suffering from his nasty crash on the last lap of the Sprint in Assen. The day would end with Trackhouse rider Miguel Oliviera fastest, with a 1:20.353.
Jorge Martin claimed a fantastic pole position on Saturday, with Championship rival Pecco Bagnaia only 4th. They were split by the two Trackhouse riders — Raul Fernandez and Miguel Oliviera lining up 3rd and 2nd respectively, in what was a superb qualifying for the American-based outfit.
It was a great day for Aprilia- with all three riders in the top seven. Factory rider Maverick Vinales suffered an awful accident at the fast Turn 10, yet miraculously, walked away unscathed. Marc Marquez would only start 13th after being impeded by HRC Test Rider Stefan Bradl, at Turn 2.
Jorge Martin snatched away the momentum of Pecco Bagnaia with a dominant Sprint victory, seemingly unfazed and undisturbed after an intense scrap with Oliviera and Bagnaia in the first few laps.
Oliviera reached the finish line to claim what was an unbelievable second place — his highest position in a race or sprint since the Thai Grand Prix of 2022, and Trackhouse’s first trip to the rostrum. Bagnaia rounded out the podium, closely followed by teammate Enea Bastianini, in what was a great day for the Ducati powered bikes.
Yet the race on Sunday was where the ultimate drama unfolded. Ultimately, it was Bagnaia victorious ahead of the two Gresini’s of the Marquez brothers, Marc followed by Alex. Yet that doesn’t tell the whole story. Bagnaia and Martin jostled for the first few laps, with the Pramac rider coming out victorious and streaking away into the distance.
He was followed by teammate, Franco Morbidelli, the pleasant surprise of the weekend, who overtook Bagnaia and made it a Ducati 1-2. Yet after a mistake, he dropped down the order, eventually finishing 5th. Marc Marquez clambered through the order, and made huge contact with Bastianini, yet continued, passing his brother on the penultimate lap to come home in 2nd.
Similarly, Bagnaia was closing the gap significantly to Martin, until on the penultimate lap, it all came crashing down for the Spaniard. Martin lost the front going into turn 1, throwing away the win, and subsequently, the championship lead. This meant Bagnaia reeled away to win, now, with the championship lead heading into the summer break.
In other news, it was a great day for Trackhouse yet again, with a double top 10 finish, and also for Luca Marini, the Honda rider claiming his first point of the season in P15. Numerous riders suffered a ‘tyre pressure’ penalty post-race, elevating others up the order.
Winners and Losers
Winners
FRANCESCO BAGNAIA is arguably the biggest winner of the lot, claiming a championship lead of ten points, gathering back the momentum after what was an abysmal first few races of the season. Similarly to 2022, Bagnaia is on a rocket charge, with a winning streak of 4, capitalizing on his closest competitors' mistakes.
TRACKHOUSE APRILIA had a weekend to remember in Germany, with the American team claiming 25 points and their first ever (sprint) podium. In a close constructors battle, this positive weekend will help boost their championship hopes, and grab more prize money come the end of the season.
FRANCO MORBIDELLI had his strongest weekend in a long time with a P5 in the main race and the sprint respectively. For a short while, the Pramac rider, who in recent years has been devastated by injuries, was even on the podium. For the Pramac team, they will hope this will be a sign of what's to come — and bolster their own push for the Teams championship.
HONDA had a much improved weekend in general. Although it feels weird congratulating a total of 3 points, the majority of the Japanese manufacturer’s bikes were able to stay with the pack. So much so, Luca Marini scored his first point and Taka Nakagami led the charge once again.
It may be a very small step, but one Honda will take as a little positive in their push to reach the top again. To put it into perspective, in Assen, the highest Honda was 43 seconds behind the leader. At the Sachsenring, this was 26.
Losers
JORGE MARTIN suffered a huge setback in his championship charge, with a mistake in the latter part of the main race. For the first time since Qatar, he will not lead the championship. And in a season already made up of such tight margins, just how costly will it be come the end of the season?
FACTORY APRILIA, unlike their customer team Trackhouse, had a very disappointing weekend after showing a lot of promise. With Espargaro’s withdrawal, it left just Vinales representing the Italian outfit.
After a mediocre sprint, he went into the gravel being chased by Marc Marquez, plunging down the order and into the minor points. Gresini has extended the gap in the constructors now as a result of this.
JACK MILLER suffered another horrid weekend in what is a sorrowful departure from the KTM squad. He now languishes 16th in the championship after a lowly P13, with teammate Binder in 7th. In a race to try and secure a seat in a super competitive grid, the only positive for Miller is that the crashing has slowed down.
FABIO DI GIANNANTONIO suffered his first retirement and non-points finish of the season. Overall, he has been extremely consistent and outshone teammate Marco Bezzechi. Yet, this mechanical failure is a big setback for the Italian, with the gap to the Top 7 in the championship widening, and Diggia falling into the clutches of those below.
Key Takeaways
Well well well… Deutschland certainly delivered! So just what can we take away from the weekend?
Francesco Bagnaia made it 4 wins on the bounce, with an unexpected victory. This means he leads the championship and has all the momentum heading into the summer break. But, the question is, will he be able to continue this?
Jorge Martin, seemingly impeccable in 2024, made a huge mistake that ultimately cost him the championship lead. Will he continue to falter under the pressure? His crash at Mandalika last year ultimately cost him the championship after all.
The gap in the field seems to be closing, with the lethargic manufacturers of Yamaha and Honda seemingly well and truly in the midpack. As we head to the second half of the season and the notoriously challenging flyaway races, will opportunities present themselves to the underdogs?
And we have realised the flaw of Marc Marquez’s sterling season. Qualifying. The Spanish rider seems to always be so close yet so far in terms of a win and constantly producing superb performances from lowly grid positions. He climbed 11 places at the Sachsenring, a track hard to overtake at. If he can improve this, surely a victory is inevitable.
And MotoGP remains in a place of heightened interest, with a record 292,000 attending the weekend in the small Sachsenring. With Liberty Media taking over, interest will seemingly only get larger. And with such engaging races, MotoGP seems to be in its best place in a very long time.
Championship Top 5:
1- FRANCESCO BAGNAIA (DUCATI) 222 Points
2- JORGE MARTIN (PRAMAC) 212 Points
3- MARC MARQUEZ (GRESINI) 166 Points
4- ENEA BASTIANINI (DUCATI) 155 Points
5- MAVERICK VINALES (APRILIA) 125 Points
Loving this season? Unfortunately, MotoGP hits its summer break before heading to Silverstone on the weekend of August 2nd-4th. At a track where wild and closely competed races are the norm, who will take gold at Silverstone?
But with the silliest of silly seasons in full swing, keep an eye out for the rider transfers. Anyone could go anywhere, and that has already been well and truly proven…
Kommentare