Maverick Viñales led and set a new record lap in the MotoGP German GP practice. Only three riders managed to lap in the 1m19s, in a session marked by several crashes. Miguel Oliveira achieved an encouraging third place.
Leader changes were constant in the first minutes, as usual in practice sessions. There were two heavy crashes in the first ten minutes, involving Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46/Ducati) and then, notably, Marc Márquez (Gresini/Ducati) with a violent highside at turn one, leaving him visibly shaken.
At that time, the leader was Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GasGas Tech3/KTM), who was later overtaken by Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati). Viñales (Aprilia) positioned himself in third, before Enea Bastianini (Ducati) moved up to second.
With Bagnaia in first, Bastianini in second, and Acosta in third, the timing sheets estabilized at the top for a few minutes as some riders headed to the garages. 38 minutes before the end, Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46/Ducati) crashed at turn one, also looking shaken. His bike damaged the protective barriers, necessitating a red flag for repairs.
After the interruption, the practice resumed with about 37 minutes remaining. Following his early-session crash, Marc Márquez returned to the track and even took the lead, beating Bagnaia by 0,265s.
Crashes continued to happen, mostly at turns one and eleven, while Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac/Ducati) reached third place on the timing chart.
After setting the best time of the session so far, Marc Márquez had to visit the medical center for examination. 18 minutes before the end, Acosta moved to second and Álex Márquez (Gresini Racing/Ducati) to third. Álex Márquez eventually climbed to first.
There was another phase of significant changes on the timing chart, where Miguel Oliveira (Trackhouse Racing/Aprilia) briefly moved up to third, only to be overtaken by Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac/Ducati). Oliveira did even better shortly after to take the lead for a moment. Maverick Viñales (Aprilia) quickly beat him.
How close do you want it? 🔥⏱️
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) July 5, 2024
Less than one tenth covers the top 5 as @alexmarquez73 sets a new benchmark but nothing is set in stone yet! 🔄#GermanGP 🇩🇪 pic.twitter.com/OKw17iYTgv
In the last ten minutes, times improved considerably again. Álex Márquez led once more, overtaking Viñales, who soon responded to reclaim the top spot. The #12 was the first to lap in the 1m19s with a record of 1m19.622s, something Oliveira also managed shortly after to move into second place.
Until the end, Martín overtook the Portuguese rider to finish second, 0.340s behind Viñales. Álex Márquez and Bagnaia completed the top five ahead of Bastianini. Morbidelli was seventh, Acosta finished eighth, and Di Giannantonio ninth.
The tenth place went to Brad Binder, securing the last direct spot in the second qualifying… beating his Red Bull KTM teammate, Jack Miller, by just 0.001s. Marc Márquez, absent from the track in the final minutes despite being declared fit, finished 13th.
Timesheets:
60 minutes of pure adrenaline at the Sachsenring! 😱
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) July 5, 2024
Maverick takes Friday top honours ahead of @88jorgemartin and @_moliveira88. @marcmarquez93 will have to face Q1 tomorrow 🏁#GermanGP 🇩🇪 pic.twitter.com/KjWJ3pnEl4
