MotoGP riders and team managers reflect on the ups and downs of Sachsenring – Jack Miller and Jorge Martin extended cuts

2024 MotoGP World Championship
Round Nine – Sachsenring
MotoGP Rider and Team Manager Quotes

Francesco Bagnaia – P1

“We were both on thin ice in the last laps, as the front kept tucking and the rear sliding, we had no traction left and we were still lapping in the 21.0/21.1s, so it was really tough. The lap before Jorge’s (Martín) crash I also lost the front, but I managed to save the day by running a bit wider. It was clear that the first to give up would have lost and truthfully, I believe it could have happened to any of us. We didn’t have the easiest start to the season, but we did an incredible job and even here, where we weren’t the strongest, we still managed to put ourselves in the condition to fight for the win. Today’s race craft was very important, as it had been in Barcelona: I saw that both Jorge and Franco (Morbidelli) were pushing a bit too much, but still it was a tough race and to come out victorious from it is simply fantastic.”

Marc Marquez – P2

“Today’s result feels as good as a race win. To be on the podium with Alex is something incredible that may have never happened, but here we are. It’s been a very challenging weekend which we saved with a great comeback – and the feeling is almost impossible to explain. The holidays will be good ones thanks to this ‘double’. I was feeling better today, and we gave it a try, but in order to battle for the win we needed a different weekend. We’re still happy as it is.”

Alex Marquez – P3

“Honestly, I didn’t think I had the pace to be so close to the front; our goal was the top seven, but then I felt fully comfortable in the race and I pushed to the limit. The battle with Morbidelli was a great one and then, in the final stages, I didn’t have enough left to fend off Marc’s return. Jorge’s crash allowed me to get on the podium and the joy is immense.”

Enea Bastianini – P4

“I did a good start but then I inadvertently touched the device and therefore lowered the bike; I then rode the first corners with the locked rear, which cost me some time. I tried to make my way back towards the front and managed to do so; then when I got close to Marc (Márquez) a good battle began. Today he had the better of me as he pulled away and quickly overtook Franco (Morbidelli). I, on the other hand, took a bit longer in doing the same and that’s where I lost the opportunity to battle for the podium. Still, it was another great race.”

Franco Morbidelli – P5

“I enjoyed very much. I was having a great speed, especially in the first half of the race. Then I lost some performance. Probably I was a bit too aggressive on tires and I couldn’t hang on till the end. But I had a lot of fun, had some overtakings in the beginning, and had the feeling that I could get there. So that’s really positive for us.”

Miguel Oliveira – P6

“It was a great weekend for sure. We managed very competitive lap times, had very competitive finishes, both in the Qualifying and the Sprint. Today was the first real challenge, in the long race, that I faced during the weekend. We just didn’t have enough for the front-runners today – they were on a different pace and different grip levels. It’s a shame I couldn’t challenge for more because during the weekend I was riding good, quite smooth, managing the tires very well but I just didn’t have enough today.”

Pedro Acosta – P7

“It was a tough race overall, after a weekend with a few issues, but somehow it was good to have these struggles before I head to the factory in Austria next week, as we will be able to work on these together. Overall we are happy with the first half of the season, we have been making progress round after round, but there is still a long way to go!”

Marco Bezzecchi – P8

“A fairly positive Sunday after a complicated start. Friday was tough, while yesterday we sorted out the weekend. I have more confidence in riding and I’m happy with this Top10. It’s not exactly what I would like, but we’ve made progress anyway and we have to be satisfied. The sensations are better, overall positive and we have to continue working, without giving up. Here we decided not to make too many changes to the bike and maybe this is the right direction for the second part of the Championship.”

Raul Fernandez – P10

“We had to analyze well what happened yesterday to understand the issue we had in the Sprint because also for my mind, it was important to have a report before going into the race today. It was quite difficult to manage the Sprint yesterday, so I wanted to know what to expect from the race today. The team did a good job and this morning we had some good information from yesterday. I understood the problem I had in the Sprint, so I was super focused on performance in the race because I thought we could do well. But, finally in the race itself, although I did my maximum, I didn’t have anything more, especially in the second part of the race. In the first 15 laps I was there fighting with leading group and Miguel but, from lap 15 on to the end, I was struggling with the tire. We tried to save it during the race in the way that I know, but it was difficult and so the end of the race was hard. I did my best and we are in the top 10 – the weekend overall was quite ok.”

Fabio Quartararo – P11

“It was a tough GP, but today went much better than expected. We miss a lot in the beginning with new tyres, but I finished with more or less the same distance to the winner as I did in yesterday’s Sprint, so I think that’s pretty good. We know where we can improve. I think that the second part of the season will be better, and I think that we will improve. We made progress since the start of the year. We’re working hard, and you can’t tell by the results yet, but we are on our way, and hopefully you can see the steps we made soon.”

Maverick Vinales – P12

“I braked on turn 8 and risked a high-side, so I went long, going off track. We looked at the data and we did not see any anomalies, I simply lost grip at the rear. It’s a real pity because I had an outstanding race pace. We need to try and set up the weekend better, because the bike changes a lot with respect to racing alone or in the group.”

Jack Miller – P13

“Turns out the improvements we found in Assen were real steps in the right direction, as we had a decent outing in Germany all things considered.   We hit the ground running quite quickly at the Sachsenring, with the feeling on the motorcycle pretty good as soon as we rolled it out. Missing out on Q2 by a bees pecker was disappointing, although there were more positives to take which kept us optimistic moving into the weekend.

“This circuit once again varies in its features, with some high-speed sections, lower-speed corners, and sweepers making the lap. This means that you need to have a bike that handles all aspects well to optimise your riding. Took off for the Sprint Race, and were there or thereabouts throughout, but we made a call on balance that probably hindered us a little bit at the beginning – things came alive at about the halfway mark, although a lot of damage was done by that stage in the race. P11 was the result, and honestly, not too bad.

“For the Feature Race, I’m a bit bloody stoked again to just have a solid Saturday. These last couple of weekends are probably the happiest I’ve ever been for these finishes, but the way the year was going, it’s just nice to bank some decent finishes. We managed to solve the front-end issues in the race, but we suffered with the rears from the get-go. Not sure what the issues were, but I just couldn’t get through sector one cleanly for the life of me, each lap was a bit wild and weird through there. All in all, more progress, keen for the summer break to take some time to recharge and refresh, then we’ll be back at it in Silverstone.”

Takaaki Nakagami – P14

“On the last lap I knew I had to attack because I wanted to get to the points. So, somehow, I had nothing to lose in that sense, and I gave everything. It worked! And despite being just a point, it’s very significant for us. Many thanks to the team for its job!”

Luca Marini – P15

“I am happy with what we have done in the first half of the year overall, this is the most important thing. Of course, I didn’t expect to struggle so much but we are starting to turn things around now. Our effort from the opening races is starting to pay off and now we have to see what’s going to come after the summer break. The gap to first today is good, the track plays a part, but we are making improvements. Everyone in Honda is working together in the same direction, let’s keep it up after a short break.”

Augusto Fernandez – P16

“It was a hard and long race, and we continued to struggle with the rear grip, an issue that we have had in general all weekend. On the positive side, we are back to a better feeling on the bike, a better level, because we were closer to the rest of the Pierer Mobility riders in terms of lap times here in Germany. It is good for us to know that, and good to be heading to the summer break on that feeling, and we’ll see if we can be competitive too in Silverstone.”

Johann Zarco – P17

“I lost a lot of time at the beginning of the race. From that moment on, I tried to follow my strategy. I managed to handle the tyre wear, which was positive, and at the end of the race, I felt I had something else to push; but it was tricky as my rivals didn’t make it easy. In any case, we are always closer to the bike we’d like to ride; we are working hard”.

Joan Mir – P18

“We have to use this weekend to understand what happened and how to avoid it in the future. Again, I was unable to unlock my full potential and I was struggling more than the other Honda riders. A long race, a tough race and one to learn a lot from. The team and I have already been looking through the data and we have some ideas on what to change in the future. We don’t stop working, we don’t stop trying and aim to come back in Silverstone stronger.”

Remy Gardner – P19

“We made a setting change to improve my feeling with the bike. I felt a difference in Warm Up, and I thought we could have a pretty good Race. The pace until lap 10 was really good. I was fighting with Zarco and Bradl, trying hunt down Mir, and I was in front of Bradl for 8-9 laps, which was good. I didn’t know how to manage the tyre drop of the rear tyre over the last 10 laps, but that’s all down to experience. Still, if you compare my pace with the medium rear between yesterday’s Sprint and today’s Race, today’s pace is much better. Hopefully I gave some good feedback and a different point of view, and hopefully Yamaha can take some positives from that.”

Stefan Bradl – P20

“Racing at the Sachsenring is always a pleasure and I have to say thank you to the fans for all their support this weekend. I felt it on track and whenever I was in the paddock or at events. Now we will take what we learned here and keep working with the Test Team to build for the future. These weekends are useful not just for us, but also to understand things about the other Hondas and also the other bikes.”

Jorge Martin – DNF

“It’s difficult to accept for sure after leading 27 laps. It’s difficult to accept and it’s really frustrating where we are difficult to sleep tonight. But yeah, this is racing. This can happen. The good thing is that I think I did an amazing weekend. I think we have to take the positives. We need to analyse why we crashed in the lead because it’s the second time already. For sure, if we improve this, it will be really difficult for the rest to beat us. We need to solve it. I think today is a really important day of my career. I will learn from this. I will get back up and I will be 100%. For sure, it was a tricky corner on the right side always, but I didn’t expect it at all. I was quite strong on that corner. I didn’t expect it to crash over there, but it’s what it is. It’s no excuse. I did a big mistake and we have to improve for the future. I have a lot of possibilities for winning this title. It’s not about this. Now, for sure, Pecco is in the lead. It’s more pressure for him. I will try to enjoy more and try to focus on myself.”

Fabio Di Giannantonio – DNF

“A pity, the first retirement for me in the Sunday race of 2024. I’m sorry, with my shoulder I was better today, we did a great job with the physiotherapist. The start wasn’t perfect, but I didn’t lose contact with the group and I stayed there. Suddenly then, I started to lose grip on the rear: we are checking the data, we don’t know exactly what happened yet. I lost pressure, I also got an alarm on the dashboard, and it was really dangerous to continue. On the outside the tire seems ok, but we can’t rule out that it’s something on the rim. I’m sorry to have closed the first part of the season like this, but the balance so far is definitely positive.”

Team Managers

Claudio Domenicali – Ducati CEO

“It was a fantastic race for Ducati. The first thought goes to Jorge (Martín) who put together an incredible performance and rode with extraordinary pace, so it’s a pity for how it went as he and Pecco were doing a different type of sport today. Pecco managed to narrow the gap down to half a second and Jorge did everything he could to win, and we all know how it unfolded. This is racing however, often unpredictable: with the competition being at such high level, a tiny mistake can change the outcome of a race completely. I’d like to still congratulate everyone because they gave us plenty of excitement once again.”

Wilco Zeelenberg – Trackhouse Team Manager

“With Sachsenring over we have completed round nine of this season and it was a very positive weekend. Of course, the Sprint race was remarkable with our first podium but today’s race was more difficult. Miguel struggled a lot as the leaders were very fast. We had to choose the medium rear tire, like all others, which didn’t give us the traction we had yesterday. But everyone was using it and he couldn’t fight with them and had to let go and fall back. But, finally, he finished sixth and Raul in the top 10 as well. We have to be happy with this because being top 10 is a good result for the team. Miguel made a big jump compared to the earlier rounds and Raul will have the new bike in Silverstone, so we will be able to compare better with the other Aprilia riders. So, let’s have a good summer break!”

Davide Brivio – Trackhouse Team Principal

“I can only take the positives of this weekend. In Qualifying we had both riders on the first row, which has been a highlight and especially the podium in the Sprint race – the second position of Miguel, who rode unbelievable yesterday. Today, I think we did what we could, both Miguel and Raul did their best in the long race. We had our pace, but some others were just better than us, although we were the best challenger. So, we have to take all the good things that have happened this weekend and keep going forward.”

Massimo Rivola- Aprilia Racing

“After his bad crash in Q2, Maverick held tough and rode a race which became further complicated with his off-track excursion. He attempted a comeback, but the leading group was too far ahead at that point. It was great to see the Aprilia Trackhouse bikes competitive, although ambitions were inevitably higher starting from the front row. Now we’ll prepare as best as possible for Silverstone, a track that we love and which has brought us great satisfaction in the past. We’ll return with Maverick and Aleix in the best shape, and with Miguel and Raúl, we’ll be aiming to have four Aprilias in the top ten.”

Nicolas Goyon – GASGAS Team Manager

“We ended the German GP on a positive note, after a tricky weekend, the second in a row after Assen last week. We did not expect such a weekend to be honest, but it just shows how competitive MotoGP is, and we clearly need to make some improvements on our package. Today, Pedro Acosta made a decent start, but lost a few positions. He fought his way back to P7, which is a great result, but we know that we have the potential for more, we want more. We have three weeks to analyze and try understanding what has been going on in the last two rounds, to arrive in Silverstone ready to fight for more. On Augusto Fernandez’ side, he did a good race, finishing in the points, but he was handed a penalty at the end. It was not a bad weekend overall, this is how we want to see him fighting on the bike, so we have a good direction to improve. Time for our summer break, I wish everyone a great holiday, let’s fully recharge the batteries as MotoGP will return to Silverstone early August!”

Pablo Nieto – VR46 Team Manager

“Today we close the first half of the 2024 Championship. With Fabio we can only be satisfied with the path taken: we are now ready to fight for the podium. A shame for today’s race, a technical problem, still to be investigated better on the data, forced us to retirement, but the balance is definitely positive. Marco has made some steps forward here in Germany, a difficult track for him, at least on paper. He had two good races and we will continue to work to get back to his positions in the second half of the season.”

Massimo Meregalli – Monster Yamaha Team Director

“First of all, I want to take a moment to congratulate Fabio on his 100th Premier Class Race milestone. It seems like only yesterday when he joined Yamaha in the satellite team and now it’s hard to imagine a GP without him. At all of these 100 GPs Fabio has given his 100%, and this race was no exception. Today that resulted in 11th place. He can rest assured during the summer break that Yamaha will keep working to come prepared for the second half of the season. Finally, I would like to thank Remy for joining us this weekend. He has been very professional and great to work with. He was sort of thrown into the deep end and handled the situation really well, and the data he collected for us this weekend will be put to good use over the next few weeks as we prepare for the British GP.”

Piero Taramasso – Michelin

“The weather changed, but not the performance of our tyres!  After a complicated Friday due to the wind and cold, Saturday and Sunday brought more consistent conditions, but also higher temperatures. However, we could see that the tyre performance was there from the practice sessions, as the circuit lap record was broken for the first time on Friday afternoon. But here at the Sachsenring, it is not only special in terms of the temperatures. The configuration of the circuit, with its sequence from turn 4 to turn 10 going only to the left, then a switch to the downhill right for turn 11, is a constant subject of discussion. For this type of configuration, and because the tyre cools considerably on its right side during several left turns, you need a rubber compound that remains at its best level of grip, and traction for the rear tyre, when the rider takes the right-hander. To achieve this, we reinforced the rubber on the left of both the front and rear tyres, and also selected a compound that controls thermal variations well, in order to preserve the performance. So, for the rear we saw that the Soft compound was perfect on Saturday for the Sprint race, while the Medium compound was best for the 30 laps of the Grand Prix. At the front, taking into account the track temperature, the Hard option was invariably the right one, and once again all the records fell. The most important one in our eyes is the reduction by more than 12 seconds in the duration of the Grand Prix, which underlines the long-lasting performance of our tyres. Consistent tyre performance is the key to a successful race weekend!”

Amended MotoGP Sachsenring Race Results

16-second pressure penalties applied for Zarco, Bradl and Augusto Fernandez

Sachsenring MotoGP Top Speeds Across Weekend

MotoGP Championship Standings