Qualifying day of the German GP followed one of Marc Marquez’s classic patterns. The reigning World Champion dedicated the FP3 and FP4 sessions to finalizing his bike’s setup in order to understand the tyre feedback and to test the limits to which he could push himself and his RC213V.
With all the dots connected, Marquez and his team proceeded to Q2 with a clear strategy in mind: three attempts – with a long slide and an unplanned (but also unsurprising, really) near-crash – to take his ninth consecutive pole at Sachsenring
The 1’20.270” lap was a new pole record for the circuit, Marquez’s third pole this season, his 48th in MotoGP, and the 76th in his career. Chapeau.
“Honestly, I didn’t really feel we would be able to take pole today, but we did and it’s fantastic. The team planned the perfect strategy, which was to try and use three tyres, and I think that’s what gave me pole position. I knew the two Ducatis were very fast on new tyres, but already during my second run, I understood that I would be able to push more on my next and final exit, on the hard tyre option, which was the one I was feeling best with. I did it, but I also made a few mistakes, one in turn three where I nearly crashed!”, Marquez commented.
⏱ @marcmarquez93 may have set the fastest ever lap of the Sachsenring during #GermanGP qualifying, but could he have gone any quicker?
Find out in the @Michelin_Sport Ideal Lap! pic.twitter.com/cujHgwpdIP
— MotoGP™??? (@MotoGP) July 14, 2018
“Anyway, I kept pushing and pushing on my final lap, and finally 25 thousandths of a second gave me the pole. I’m sorry for Danilo [Petrucci], but we’re both on the front row and that’s what ultimately counts. Regarding tomorrow, I think we’ll have two races – I mean the first 15 laps and the second 15 laps. In the first half, everyone will be fast but in the second half the tyres will drop, and that moment will be the key. We’ve worked a lot to try and keep our pace on used tyres in the high ’21s, but it’s tough and will also be tough tomorrow.”
Danilo Petrucci was second in qualifying while Jorge Lorenzo was third
“I’m really pleased with my lap time and a front row position and I would have signed on the dotted line for a qualifying result like this if I had known before arriving here at the Sachsenring. I even think I could have improved on my time and fought for the pole with Marquez if I hadn’t made a small mistake in the final corner, losing a little bit of precious time. I’m working well with my team but the race will be a long and very difficult one, so it’ll be important to make the right choice of tyre, get a good start and save some energy for the final stages. In any case, we are set up well and I think that tomorrow we can fight for the podium and maybe even for the win”, Lorenzo said.
Here’s the grid for tomorrow’s 30 lap #GermanGP ??
It’s @marcmarquez93 who will start from pole yet again in the Sachsenring ? pic.twitter.com/PrbRqxI4H8
— MotoGP™??? (@MotoGP) July 14, 2018
