SACHSENRING: A dramatic last lap allowed Márquez to claim Tissot Sprint victory, with Aprilia and Quartararo securing spots on the Saturday podium.

Marc Márquez made a brilliant start from pole, but ran wide at Turn 1, losing several positions. He initially dropped to P5, then slipped to P6 as Fabio Di Giannantonio overtook him at Turn 8.

Meanwhile, Bezzecchi led the Sprint with fellow Italian Morbidelli trailing 0.6 seconds behind. Quartararo made a strong start, climbing from seventh on the grid to P3 within the first two laps. In contrast, his compatriot Johann Zarco slipped down the grid to P10 after starting from P2.

Morbidelli crashed out at Turn 8 on Lap 3, promoting Quartararo to P2. Over the next two laps, Quartararo became the fastest rider on the track. By Lap 5 of 15, the gap between Bezzecchi and Quartararo stood at 1.5 seconds. Meanwhile, Márquez successfully passed Di Giannantonio and became the fastest rider on track.

Márquez overtook Quartararo for P2 at Turn 1 as Lap 9 began, with Bezzecchi holding a 1.6 second lead. That gap shrank to 1.3 seconds by Lap 10, but Bezzecchi was fending off the championship leader’s charge well.

Márquez continued to close the gap, shaving off half a second as the race began its final four laps, bringing the gap between them to under a second. The pressure mounted on Bezzecchi, with three laps remaining and just 0.5 seconds separating them.

With two laps remaining, Márquez was right on Bezzecchi’s tail, setting the stage for a thrilling showdown. On the final lap, Márquez made his move, diving into Turn 1 and holding the outside line before cutting in through Turn 2 to seize the lead. Bezzecchi couldn’t find a way past him and had to settle for second. Quartararo managed to hold off Di Giannantonio and claim his first Sprint podium since the 2023 Dutch Grand Prix.