Martins fends off Bagnaia to win German MotoGP race

Jorge Martin took victory in both the Sprint and main races at the Sachsenring in Germany, chasing down current championship leader Francesco Bagnaia. The final spot on the podium was taken up by Martin’s Pramac Racing teammate Johann Zarco, which means that the riders on the podium were the same as the Italian GP, albeit in a different order.

1. Martin wins, 0.064 secs ahead of Bagnaia
2. Marc Marquez sat out race due to injury
3. All Ducati riders finished ahead of Yamaha, Aprilia, Honda 

Martin, Bagnaia scrap for victory

For much of the race, Martin was in the lead and Bagnaia played catch up until the Italian made a move at Turn 11 to take the lead. However, Martin responded just a few laps later to retake the lead in dominant fashion and he stayed there despite multiple attempts by Bagnaia, including one incident where the factory Ducati rider’s front wheel made contact with Martin’s rear wheel. In the end, Martin emerged victorious by just 0.064s over Bagnaia.

This race also marked the first time every single Ducati rider finished ahead of nearly every other manufacturer’s machinery on the grid, barring Jack Miller’s KTM RC16. 

Miller sole KTM in top 10

Miller, in what is becoming quite common, led for much of the first lap before being swallowed by a barrage of Ducati machinery. Slowly but steadily, the Australian dropped down the order to finally take the chequered flag in sixth place. His teammate Brad Binder was running in third place when he ran wide and ended up in the gravel trap. This promoted Johann Zarco to the final podium spot. Augusto Fernandez, the sole rookie this year and 2022 Moto2 World Champion, finished the race in 11th place for the GASGAS Tech3 team. 

Aprilia, Yamaha struggle

Finishing the race in 10th place, RNF Aprilia’s Miguel Oliveira was the highest-placed rider for the Noale-based manufacturer. Aleix Espargaro, who at one stage of the race was in sixth position, faced grip issues due to the soft rear tyre and ultimately crossed the line 16th, without a single point to his name. Just ahead of him was the other RNF Aprilia machine of Raul Fernandez who took home a solitary point. Maverick Vinales suffered a mechanical issue which forced him to retire from the race while running 13th. 

Fabio Quartararo, who won last year’s German GP, ultimately took the chequered flag down in 13th place, just ahead of teammate Franco Morbidelli. 

Nakagami sole Honda rider on the grid

With the ex-Suzuki duo of Joan Mir and Alex Rins sidelined due to injury and Marc Marquez too deciding to retire after a crash in the warm up session, LCR Honda’s Takaaki Nakagami was the only rider representing Big Red. He ultimately crossed the finish line 14th to take home two points. 

2023 MotoGP championship standings

With his dominant wins in both, the Sprint and main races, Jorge Martin is just 16 points behind current championship leader Francesco Bagnaia. Mooney VR46’s Marco Bezzecchi is 18 points behind Martin, in third place.

MotoGP will now head to the TT Circuit Assen for the Dutch GP from June 23-25.

2023 German MotoGP results