The Ducati Lenovo Team claimed a sensational win in wet conditions at the Sachsenring Sprint, courtesy of an incredible comeback performance by Marc Márquez. Francesco Bagnaia crossed the line in twelfth place.
Márquez had a good start from pole but lost four positions after running wide at the first corner. In the middle stages of the Sprint, Marc upped his pace, quickly making up ground and positions before taking the lead on the final lap and securing victory. Bagnaia – who qualified in eleventh – had a difficult time in the wet and finished twelfth at the chequered flag.
The Ducati Lenovo Team will return to action tomorrow morning at 9:40 local time (GMT +2) for the eleventh Grand Prix of the season, which will be contested over 30 laps from 14:00.
Marc Márquez (#93 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 1st
“The start of the Sprint was a challenging one, especially after running wide at turn one. My intention was to brake late to avoid issues with the riders behind, but not quite that late, and I ended up losing some positions. In the first two or three laps, I struggled to get the tyres up to temperature, but I started to push as soon as I realised I was going faster and faster. When I overtook Fabio (Quartararo), my first thought was to hold position, but then I saw I was closing the gap to Bezzecchi without taking too many risks, and once I saw the 1’28s on my dashboard, I pushed even harder.”
Francesco Bagnaia (#63 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 12th
“Unfortunately, I can’t seem to be competitive and I’m very disappointed with today and with my performance, because I’m unable to be effective. I tried to do things that the bike apparently doesn’t allow me to do. We’ve analysed the data from every session and we must understand why this is happening. Today, we tried to make a significant change between qualifying and the race, and it actually made things worse. From the post-race debrief, it’s clear that I lack confidence at the front end, while the rear slides a lot. Let’s hope that by taking a different direction, we can turn things around for tomorrow.”
