Marc Marquez leads calls for safety improvements at Sachsenring MotoGP track

Marc Marquez has led calls for safety improvements to be made to the Sachsenring ahead of its impending contract extension with MotoGP beyond next year.

The German Grand Prix at the quirky Sachsenring venue has been a mainstay on the calendar since 1998, with it only absent from the schedule since during the COVID-impacted 2020 season.

Regularly one of the highest attended events of the season, last weekend’s German Grand Prix set a new crowd record for the event of a weekend total of 256,441 people.

The Sachsenring is currently contracted to stay on the calendar in 2026, though an extension is rumoured to be in the pipeline.

Safety worries at Sachsenring in Germany

But Marc Marquez - who won last weekend and has nine German Grand Prix victories to his credit - says “some walls are on the limit” in terms of proximity to the race track.

There were several crashes last weekend that saw bikes end up hitting the air fencing at the barriers, with the end of the Moto2 race red-flagged as a result of this at Turn 1.

Asked on Sunday if the circuit needs some safety modifications if it is to stay on the calendar, Marquez said: “Yeah, of course this is one of the race tracks that I love.

“But some walls are on the limit, especially in wet conditions because in wet conditions when you crash it looks like you even increase the speed when you touch the tarmac.

“So, it’s true that we have good protections with the air fence.

“But it’s obvious that it’s not a race track like Qatar, where you never arrive at the walls. They are working on it.”

Alex Marquez echoed his elder brothers sentiments, adding: “As Marc says, they need to modify some things to increase a little bit [the safety] like at Turn 5 or Turn 8.

“But they are working, so if they renew the contract for sure they will make the modifications.”

Ducati’s Pecco Bagnaia believes the work MotoGP is doing with Jerez to improve the distance of barriers to the track is something that will prove beneficial to all old-style circuits, like the Sachsenring.

“It’s true that we’re always increasing a bit the speed,” Bagnaia said.

“The bikes are faster but the tracks are always the same. So, it’s difficult to be always on the limit in terms of safety.

“It’s true they are working a lot in a track they are trying to manage the best, which is Jerez, which is one where it’s much easier to arrive to the wall.

“But if they do the same things to all the old tracks, it will be much safer.”