German MotoGP, Sachsenring - Saturday Practice Results

Saturday practice results from the German MotoGP at Sachsenring, round 7 of 20 in the 2023 world championship.

17 Jun 2023

Marc Marquez, MotoGP, German MotoGP, 17 June

2023 German MotoGP, Sachsenring - Free Practice (3) Results
Pos	Rider	Nat	Team	Time/Diff	Lap	Max
1	Marc Marquez	SPA	Repsol Honda (RC213V)	1'29.269s	16/16	288k
2	Alex Marquez	SPA	Gresini Ducati (GP22)	+0.028s	14/15	291k
3	Johann Zarco	FRA	Pramac Ducati (GP23)	+0.091s	15/15	292k
4	Marco Bezzecchi	ITA	Mooney VR46 Ducati (GP22)	+0.390s	10/13	292k
5	Jack Miller	AUS	Red Bull KTM (RC16)	+0.531s	12/15	290k
6	Aleix Espargaro	SPA	Aprilia Racing (RS-GP23)	+0.556s	11/11	285k
7	Augusto Fernandez	SPA	Tech3 GASGAS (RC16)*	+0.576s	12/15	283k
8	Francesco Bagnaia	ITA	Ducati Lenovo (GP23)	+0.640s	13/13	288k
9	Franco Morbidelli	ITA	Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1)	+0.704s	15/15	283k
10	Jorge Martin	SPA	Pramac Ducati (GP23)	+0.720s	14/14	293k
11	Maverick Viñales	SPA	Aprilia Racing (RS-GP23)	+0.743s	12/13	287k
12	Miguel Oliveira	POR	RNF Aprilia (RS-GP22)	+0.755s	15/15	287k
13	Fabio Di Giannantonio	ITA	Gresini Ducati (GP22)	+0.801s	14/15	289k
14	Brad Binder	RSA	Red Bull KTM (RC16)	+0.848s	15/16	288k
15	Luca Marini	ITA	Mooney VR46 Ducati (GP22)	+1.221s	14/15	289k
16	Fabio Quartararo	FRA	Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1)	+1.390s	13/15	287k
17	Raul Fernandez	SPA	RNF Aprilia (RS-GP22)	+1.627s	12/13	286k
18	Takaaki Nakagami	JPN	LCR Honda (RC213V)	+1.660s	11/12	279k
19	Enea Bastianini	ITA	Ducati Lenovo (GP23)	+1.786s	15/15	285k
20	Jonas Folger	GER	Tech3 GASGAS (RC16)	+1.966s	13/14	276k

* Rookie

Fastest Friday time:
Marco Bezzecchi ITA Ducati 1m 20.271s

Official Sachsenring MotoGP records:
Best lap:
Francesco Bagnaia ITA Ducati 1m 19.765s (2022)
Fastest race lap:
Marc Marquez SPA Honda 1m 21.228s (2019)

Marc Marquez puts Friday's drama behind him to lead brother Alex at the end of a wet Free Practice 3 for the German MotoGP at Sachsenring.

Marquez - who gave his Honda the middle finger after multiple scares on Friday, then later fell and wiped out Johann Zarco as the Frenchman exited pit lane - moved to the top with a 1m 29.269s. The #93 had one Kalex chassis and one Honda chassis fitted to his bikes.

While slick tyres were used during Friday's MotoGP sessions, when Marco Bezzecchi was quickest, the track was soaking wet for the start of FP3 - albeit with bright skies overhead and a dry line starting to develop.

Marc Marquez suffered another scare early in the session when Bezzecchi suddenly slowed ahead of him as he prepared to pull into the pits. The Italian received a 'conduct warning' from the FIM Stewards.

Bezzecchi and Zarco also featured on top this morning, on their way to third and fourth, ahead of KTM's Jack Miller, who was held up by Franco Morbidelli.

Qualifying 1 for those outside the top ten on Friday, including Miller's team-mate Brad Binder and 11-time Sachsenring winner Marc Marquez, will now begin.

Germany was the nadir of Francesco Bagnaia's 2022 world championship season, slipping 91 points from Fabio Quartararo after an early fall before fighting back to take the title in the second half of the year. Bagnaia returns with a 21-point lead over Marco Bezzecchi.

Sachsenring is Marc Marquez’s most successful circuit, with eleven wins at the German Grand Prix, including eight in the MotoGP class. Absent last season due to arm surgery, when Quartararo took victory, Marquez hasn’t been beaten at the tight and twisty anti-clockwise circuit since 2009 in 125cc.

Marquez is riding alone at Repsol Honda with team-mate Joan Mir sidelined by a hand injury at Mugello last weekend. LCR Honda's Alex Rins is also absent after fracturing his right tibia and fibula in Italy. The COTA winner won't be fit to return until after the summer break. Rins' team-mate Takaaki Nakagami has been handed a Kalex chassis for the first time this weekend.

GASGAS Tech3’s Pol Espargaro has abandoned a planned return in Germany and is again replaced by KTM test rider Jonas Folger, meaning a home rider will be taking part in the premier class. Espargaro is also thought unlikely to be fit for next weekend's Assen round.

Older brother Aleix, diagnosed with two broken bones in his right heel after struggling with bicycle injuries throughout the Mugello weekend, limped away from a crash at turn one after just ten minutes.