Marc Marquez goes third fastest as Ducati dominates Sachsenring practice; Bagnaia secures Q2 spot despite testing a new frame.
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The Ducati Lenovo Team kicked off their German Grand Prix weekend with a promising performance during Friday practice at Sachsenring. Marc Márquez impressed with third place overall, while teammate Francesco Bagnaia secured ninth, ensuring both riders a direct spot in Q2.
It was Fabio Di Giannantonio (VR46 Racing Team) who stole the headlines, setting a blistering new lap record of 1’19.071 aboard his Desmosedici GP machine. He edged out Alex Márquez (Gresini Racing) for the top spot in a Ducati-dominated session that saw seven Desmosedicis in the top ten.
Marc Márquez, returning to a circuit where he has a storied past, became the first rider of the weekend to break the 1’20 barrier. The Spaniard ended the day third fastest, showing strong pace and consistency despite not feeling fully dialled in during the time attack phase.
“The goal was to log a good lap time and make it into Q2,” said Márquez. “We also worked on the setup and tried different tyres as tomorrow’s weather could complicate things. I felt fast and comfortable, especially on used tyres. Our aim now is to qualify in the top two rows and fight at the front.”
On the other side of the Ducati Lenovo garage, Francesco Bagnaia closed out the day in ninth, navigating setup changes and testing a new frame as part of ongoing development.
“It’s not ideal to test a new frame on Friday, but we were ready for that risk,” Bagnaia explained. “The race pace was promising, although the soft tyre gave me less grip between runs. I made a mistake during my time attack, but overall, it’s still a positive start.”
Both riders now advance directly to Q2, with Bagnaia hoping to sharpen his qualifying rhythm and Márquez targeting a front-row start.
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