GP Today

Francesco Bagnaia admits Ducati still has work to do after a difficult German GP, saying Aprilia has been the more consistent manufacturer despite Marc Márquez's Sachsenring dominance.

After finishing sixth, Bagnaia chose not to force a risky move on Jorge Martín.

🗣️ "He was struggling with the front tire and I was struggling with the rear, so we had very similar lap times."

🗣️ "I would have had to risk too much to overtake him. From experience, finishing the race is always the best option."

Pecco believes the weekend's result was acceptable given the problems he faced.

🗣️ "Considering how much I struggled this weekend, finishing seventh and sixth is a great result. We have to focus on the positives."

However, his main issue with the GP26 remains unchanged.

🗣️ "I'm still having the same problem since the first race. I don't have real grip. I can't use the rear tire to turn the bike and accelerate at the same time."

Bagnaia hopes Ducati can solve the issue during the summer break.

🗣️ "Álex Márquez had the same problem before Jerez and they fixed it. I hope this break helps the team find a solution."

He also believes the 2026 season is far more competitive than previous years.

🗣️ "For the first time, Ducati isn't as dominant as in recent years. There are more competitive bikes, and that raises the level of competition."

While praising Marc Márquez's form, Bagnaia highlighted Aprilia's consistency across its riders.

🗣️ "Bezzecchi is still the fastest Aprilia rider, and Ogura is doing a fantastic job."

🗣️ "Marc is very strong, but at Ducati one rider shines in one race and another in the next. We're not as consistent as Aprilia, but we're working on it."

Source: Motosan

Pedro Acosta bounced back in style at Sachsenring, finishing fourth in his first race after carpal tunnel surgery and delivering KTM's best result of the weekend.

Before reflecting on the race, Acosta sent a message of support to those affected by the wildfires in Spain.

🗣️ "I want to send my strength to everyone affected by the fires in Spain, especially in Almería, and to the firefighters working so hard to keep everyone safe."

Despite struggling in the warm-up, Acosta and KTM executed a strategy that exceeded expectations.

🗣️ "I'd give the race a 7. We surprised everyone. I don't think anyone expected us to finish fourth today."

The plan was simple: attack early before tire management became a factor.

🗣️ "The only strategy was to get the fastest possible start while everyone else was managing their tires, then try to hold the position."

Acosta stayed competitive until the closing stages before front tire performance began to fade.

🗣️ "We had the same problems as yesterday with the front tire, but we managed it well because we still had more pace than the group behind us."

Considering his recent surgery, the result felt even more rewarding.

🗣️ "In my mind, the plan was to do 10 laps and see how bad I felt. That feeling only came around lap 17, so I'm really happy."

The 2027 Ducati rider also gave a positive update on his recovery.

🗣️ "I'm very happy with my arm. I was protecting the scar by putting more load on my left side. I'll have the remaining stitches removed tomorrow, then rest and see how I feel training over the next three weeks."

Source: Motosan

Jorge Lorenzo believes Marc Márquez's stunning comeback is no coincidence, calling the nine-time World Champion the most complete and intelligent rider on the current MotoGP grid.

After Marc's Sachsenring double victory cut the championship deficit to just 18 points, Lorenzo praised both his speed and race management.

🗣️ "It's incredible, this historic comeback Marc Márquez is making, going from more than 100 points behind to just 18."

Lorenzo believes this year's title fight has been shaped not only by speed, but by consistency.

🗣️ "It's a championship of many mistakes. You always have to be fast in MotoGP, but above all, it's also about survival."

The former MotoGP World Champion highlighted how Márquez has evolved compared to his younger years.

🗣️ "What impresses me most is that he's gained a lot in intelligence and maturity. He crashes less."

🗣️ "He's not as explosive as he was 10 or 12 years ago, but he's very well-rounded. He's the most complete and the most intelligent rider on the grid."

Lorenzo also pointed to Assen as proof of Marc's growth, where he maximized points despite difficult circumstances.

🗣️ "He held on there like a lion. He put enough pressure on Bezzecchi to force the mistake."

Looking ahead, Lorenzo expects Márquez to become even stronger after the summer break.

🗣️ "Those days off will do him a world of good. I don't know if he'll be at 100%, but he'll be much better than he is now."

He added that left-hand circuits continue to be Marc's biggest advantage.

🗣️ "On left-hand circuits like Sachsenring, Phillip Island and Aragón, Marc feels better physically. That's where he can make the difference with his spectacular left-hand corner entry."

Source: Motosan

Pedro Acosta ended the first half of the MotoGP season with a solid fourth-place finish at Sachsenring and believes there's still plenty more to come after the summer break.

🗣️ "It seems like no one wants to take the lead in this championship!" (laughs) "All joking aside, Marc Márquez is the man to beat. He's the reference right now."

Acosta also believes the upcoming 850cc MotoGP bikes could be even quicker than the current 1000cc machines at Sachsenring.

🗣️ "Here, we'll probably be able to go faster on the 850s than on the 1,000s. We don't even use all the power of the current bikes on this track anyway."

Reflecting on his own campaign, the KTM rider gave himself mixed marks after a season affected by injuries and technical issues.

🗣️ "I'd give my riding a seven, but considering everything that happened this season, it's a four. So overall... I'd say a 5.5."

Acosta says his priority during the summer break is finding solutions to KTM's reliability problems before the second half of the championship begins.

Source: GPOne

Jorge Martín believes difficult moments can make riders stronger, offering his full support to teammate Marco Bezzecchi following the Italian's injury at the German Grand Prix.

🗣️ "I'm sending all my strength to Marco. We need to learn from the tough times. If he can learn from this, he'll come back with an even stronger mindset. I know he will."

Source:GPOne

On this day in 2008, Dani Pedrosa suffered one of the most dramatic crashes of his MotoGP career at the German Grand Prix.

Leading the wet Sachsenring race by over seven seconds, Pedrosa looked set for a dominant victory before losing the front under braking into Turn 1 with just five laps remaining.

The violent crash launched his Honda RC212V into the air, while Pedrosa slid into the air fence, suffering a fractured finger and a suspected ankle fracture.

The accident not only ended his race—it also cost him the MotoGP World Championship lead, allowing Valentino Rossi to move ahead in the standings as Casey Stoner inherited victory.

A defining moment in one of MotoGP's most memorable championship battles.

Fabio Quartararo extracted everything possible from Yamaha at the Sachsenring, finishing seventh despite believing the M1 still lacked the pace to fight further up the order. While the result won't change his future, the Frenchman says every race is preparation for his next chapter with Honda.

🗣️ “A seventh-place finish doesn’t change anything, but I’d still rather finish seventh than fifteenth.”

Quartararo admitted his target before the race was only P9, but crashes ahead allowed him to climb higher after another weekend of maximizing Yamaha's potential.

🗣️ “My goal was to finish ninth. We finished seventh, but the target was P9.”

The 2021 MotoGP World Champion explained that Jack Miller's strong weekend wasn't extra motivation—it simply confirmed Yamaha should have stuck with the setup Quartararo had wanted from the beginning.

🗣️ “It wasn’t about motivation. Yamaha just had to go back to the setup I preferred.”

Despite announcing his move to Honda, Quartararo says he's determined to keep pushing because the lessons he learns now will be valuable when he starts a new challenge.

🗣️ “I want to be ready for the next chapter of my career. There will be challenges there too, so I want to keep pushing myself to the limit.”

He also revealed he no longer expects major upgrades from Yamaha, believing the manufacturer has already shifted its focus toward the 850cc MotoGP project.

🗣️ “I don’t expect anything from them anymore. I’m simply trying to get the most out of what we have.”

For Quartararo, every point and every lap still matter—not because they will transform Yamaha's season, but because they continue to sharpen him for the future.

Source: GPOne

Bezzecchi Undergoes Successful Surgery, Eyes Silverstone Return 💪

Marco Bezzecchi has successfully undergone surgery to repair the fractured left collarbone he suffered at the German Grand Prix. ✅

The operation, performed by Dr. Giuseppe Porcellini at Sassuolo University Hospital, successfully stabilized the fracture.

Trackhouse Racing heads into the summer break on a high after another impressive weekend at Sachsenring, with Ai Ogura climbing to second in the championship and Raúl Fernández securing another podium.

🗣️ Ogura: "Second in the championship is better than I expected. I'd give myself a ten out of ten."

The Japanese rider admitted he never expected to be this high in the standings halfway through the season and insists he'll keep taking things race by race.

🗣️ "The pressure? I feel it even when I'm near the back of the pack. I'll just keep doing my own thing."

Fernández, meanwhile, was full of praise for Marc Márquez after spending much of the race chasing the Ducati star.

🗣️ Fernández: "It was a pleasure to ride behind Marc. Here, he takes lines that are impossible to replicate. I tried to copy them for a couple of laps... and almost crashed."

Although encouraged by his recent form, the Spaniard believes there's still work to do before he can consistently challenge for victories.

🗣️ "I'm not ready to fight with them yet. I still need to improve, but it's not impossible."

Francesco Bagnaia admitted he left Sachsenring frustrated, believing Ducati still hasn't solved the rear grip issues that have limited his performance throughout the season.

🗣️ "Marc made the difference at this track, but Álex Márquez was actually faster. He had more margin and could take different lines compared to everyone else."

Pecco praised both Márquez brothers, highlighting Álex's impressive pace before his race-ending crash.

Despite finishing sixth, Bagnaia believes the summer break comes at the right time—but not one he can truly enjoy.

🗣️ "We need this summer break, but I can't enjoy it. I know how much potential I have and how far we still are from where we should be."

Bagnaia also revealed Ducati is still searching for the solution to the rear grip problem, pointing out that Gresini managed to solve a similar issue with Álex Márquez earlier this season.

Looking ahead to the title fight, Pecco isn't thinking about championships just yet.

🗣️ "I can't think about the title right now. First, we need to get back on the podium, then win races, and only after that think about fighting for the championship."

Source :GPOne