- Fabio Di Giannantonio, with the Ducati machine of the VR46 Racing Team, sets a new outright lap record (1’19.071) to finish first ahead of the Desmosedici GP of Alex Márquez (Gresini Racing Team)
The Ducati Lenovo Team wrapped up the opening day of action for the Grand Prix of Germany, the eleventh event of the season. At the Sachsenring, Márquez was third at the end of Practice, with Francesco Bagnaia ninth in the afternoon session.
Márquez, who topped the morning timesheets, was the first rider to break the 1’20 barrier and ultimately ended up third fastest, showing excellent pace aboard his Desmosedici GP machine. Bagnaia, ninth also in the morning, could not make the difference in the closing stages of Practice, but still finished within the top ten.
The Ducati Lenovo Team will resume proceedings tomorrow morning at 10:10 local time (GMT +2) for Free Practice 2, which will be followed by Q2 at 11:15 and by the 15-lap, eleventh Sprint of 2025, getting underway at 15:00.
Marc Márquez (#93 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 3rd
“The goal was to log a good lap-time and make it into Q2. We also worked on the setup and tried different tyre options, as the weather forecast for tomorrow isn’t great and we could end up with less dry track time. I felt comfortable on the bike, I was fast, so I’m happy. Obviously, the goal for tomorrow is to qualify on the first two rows and then do our best. My feeling wasn’t ideal in the time attack and we know where the problem is, but our setup works best with used tyres, and that’s when I feel really good. I prefer to lose something on single-lap performance, but the goal is still to qualify on the front row.”
Francesco Bagnaia (#63 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 9th
“Today was important to try something new that could change my feeling on the bike. Sure, it’s not ideal to test a new frame on a Friday, and we were ready for the possibility of finishing outside the top ten. We still did an excellent job: we were quite competitive in terms of race pace, but I really felt the drop in grip at the rear with the soft tyre between one run and the other. In the third run I managed to lap faster compared to the second one, and this is a positive sign. Today my approach to the time attack was wrong as I pushed where I shouldn’t have, and then I went wide during my second attempt. It’s a pity, but it’s still a positive start.”
