MotoGP riders look back on Sachsenring and ahead to Assen

MotoGP 2022 – Round Ten
Sachsenring Post Race Quotes

Fabio Quartararo – P1

“I felt ill the entire weekend, but the most important thing is that we finished it in a good way. I was super consistent throughout the race, first controlling the gap to Johann, and then finishing the race by a big distance is okay. It’s a step forward for our confidence in the race. It was 30 laps, I couldn’t make a mistake, and I had to control the pace and the rear tyre. It was a great race in many ways!”

Jack Miller – P3

“I’m definitely happy with that one, really happy. Germany is a place where Ducati doesn’t usually go that well, it was crazy hot out there, I had a long lap penalty… there was a LOT going on. So to be back up there on the box again after the last couple of races at Mugello and Catalunya were pretty average – I’m so happy. 

“Sachsenring hasn’t been a good track for us at Ducati in the past but right from the beginning it felt good, I was inside the top three in FP1 and FP2 on Friday and I feel that confirmed what we saw as a massive step forwards from the test we did after Barcelona. I’d been suffering a lot from the beginning of the year really to get the bike stopped, so we shifted my riding position at the test, moved my handlebars forward quite a bit. I immediately felt like I had some more confidence in the front of the bike, especially here where it’s all about turning because it’s the tightest track we go to.

“It was bloody hot out there, there was no two ways about it. For me right now, it feels like the most physical race I’ve done in MotoGP. With that temperature and the layout of this track, there’s nowhere you can really rest on the lap, you’re constantly working. The whole race I was chasing someone or being chased so it was pretty intense. Even with that, it felt fun because my confidence was high the whole time. 

“It felt nice to be able to attack again on the brakes, and I sent in some good lunges there with Aleix (Espargaro) late in the race, that’s for sure. Before I even got to Aleix, I had to do my long-lap penalty for the yellow flag crash I had in FP4 and nearly crashed when I was doing it – that wouldn’t have been a good look! – and there were a heap of rocks in the long-lap lane from where other guys had gone off, (Joan) Mir I think was one. I saw the rocks and hit them with the front tyre, I thought ‘oh no!’ but I managed to get out of there without losing too much time, which I think was crucial to today’s result. I only dropped back to seventh and I still had 24 laps to make up the places I lost, and it all worked out. 

“Anyway, Aleix was riding so well late in the race, like he has all year really. I actually needed him to give me some help to pass him, I had two goes at Turn 1 that didn’t work and out-braked myself both times. He finally made a mistake with three laps left, and I got by and was able to pull out a gap. And there I was, back on the box. I’m now really looking forward to the races coming up, because it’s really fun when you can ride with confidence and attack the corners like I was able to here. 

“It’s been an awesome weekend, and now we’re off to Assen next weekend, a place where I obviously have some pretty good memories. And then it’s time for some time off!”

Aleix Espargaro – P4

“Unfortunately today I had a strange vibration at the front from the first lap which then got progressively worse. At a certain point of the race, I had to slow the pace, changing my riding style and not exploiting the RS-GP’s strong points. It’s a pity because, even though I wouldn’t have been able to keep up with Fabio, I definitely had the pace to battle with Zarco. With the way things went, I’m pleased with fourth because in spite of riding badly and without confidence, I was still able to limit the damage. I’m not too worried about the lost points; right now, Fabio’s form in the race is what should be pushing us to find more speed.”

Luca Marini – P5

“A great race, I really enjoyed it! The key was to better manage the rear tire, a detail that I hadn’t looked after so well in Barcelona. A pity for yesterday’s qualifying, the third row is not bad, but on this track the first or second row would have allowed me to fight for the podium. I had a good pace, we worked well thanks to the whole Team and Ducati and we have to be patient: it will come! We continue to stay focused, take care of the details and work hard towards Assen.”

Brad Binder – P7

“It’s a been a long weekend for us here. He tried to be competitive over one lap but it’s been really difficult to get in the top ten. In Warm-up this morning I managed to push all the way consistently and could find my pace and all my marks. My goal today was to make sure I finished the race so I’m happy that I could give all I have. We take home a 7th and I expected better at one point but I didn’t have anything left with the rear tire. We just have to keep working. Next week at Assen is a completely different track with different conditions. I hope it will suit us better.”

Fabio Di Giannantonio – P8

“We had a super weekend. We were always quick, and we did set a great lap-time in qualifying. I was feeling good for the race: I started strong and was in control in the first part. In the second half, with the heat and the tyres that were sliding a lot, I lost a few battles. I have must say that this has been thre first race where I could fend off the attacks coming from my opponents, so I say goodbye to Germany with really great feelings.”

Miguel Oliveira – P9

“The race was hot, difficult and super-long. We didn’t get the best start and I think that limited the result by the end. The day was determined by missing out on Q2; that was the weekend there. We showed a lot of speed in terms of race pace but couldn’t quite replicate it for the position that we want. We leave Sachsenring with another 9th place. Consistent but not a place to be super-happy about.”

Enea Bastianini – P10

“I’m only half happy: I didn’t have a great start as the bike did a wheelie. I lost many places, but little by little I was able to recover. I really wanted to bring the bike home and tenth is good confidence-wise. It’s without a doubt a positive Sunday, especially if we consider the absence of Alberto and yesterday’s unlucky qualifying. It has been a difficult weekend, but one on which we have built a good result.”

Marco Bezzecchi – P11

“A very difficult condition from the start: I practically never had grip but I didn’t give up. I tried to give my all in this survival race and to take the points home. At the end I tried to change the pace, but I didn’t want to take too many risks. I’m happy for myself and the whole Team and can’t wait to get back on track in Assen to finish the first half of the season in the best possible way.”

Raul Fernandez – P12

“My best race yet and I felt like a kid out there. I felt like I did in Moto2 last year. We made a small change on the bike but it worked. I could ride easier and freer. I think this will help us at the next race in Assen as well. It was very hard physically because of the temperatures: from the bike, the air and the bikes in front but we pushed through and I’m really satisfied.”

Franco Morbidelli – P13

“We made some good improvements this weekend, but still the qualifying was the thing that ruined our race. In the race I was able to make up some positions. But being in a group with these temperatures, it’s difficult to overtake and make up many positions. Anyway, I was close to the fight for the top 10, which at the moment is a good result for us. First of all, we need to reach our first top 10, and we need to build up from there.”

Andrea Dovizioso – P14

“I was sick these last two days, so I didn’t expect a lot, also because Sachsenring is one of the most demanding tracks as you have to stay always on the left side of the bike for a long time. But at the end, I was quite consistent. I was struggling a bit with the front pressure, I think something strange happened there, because from the first lap to the last lap the pressure increased a lot, too much. We have to understand now, if this is coming from our garage and if we have to do something different or if it’s coming from the tyre. Anyway, I wanted to fight with Franky (Morbidelli), in the end I couldn’t stay with him, but I was very close, so it was ok.”

Remy Gardner – P15

“I am a bit disappointed with today’s race. We had a bad start and I found myself last at the end of the first lap so I had to battle it out to catch up, which means that I used my rear tire faster than planned. It was so hot today so it was tough physically as well. I think that I held on pretty well, I was just unable to go fast. We will analyze what happened and not make the same mistakes in the future.”

Stefan Bradl – P16

“Today is a sad day, I had a big issue with riding the bike in this heat. After following people for the first few corners, I couldn’t brake because my right hand, the lever, became so hot and I couldn’t control the bike. After a couple of laps, I had to drop back to get some fresh air for the bike and for my body. I just tried to finish the race, it was physically more than on the limit and I also have a burn on my right foot because it was so hot. It’s not acceptable to have this situation, we need to improve it. Luckily in Assen we have a chance to fix this problem.”

Pol Espargaro – DNF

“It was a tough weekend already and then today was another hard day. The ribs just need time to recover but putting more stress on them each day doesn’t help. I tried to do what I could in the race, but the pain got worse and worse and with the heat, I was struggling to breathe. We also had a lot of heat on my right foot which added to the pain. I had to retire; the pain was too extreme. Now I will go home and recover there, the rib injury is similar to what I had in Valencia last year so I know how to deal with them a bit. Three days is not a lot before Assen, but it is what it is.”

Maverick Vinales – DNF

“I had fun today. I started well, coming through the first corner without losing positions, and then I was able to be aggressive, overtaking until catching up with Aleix. At that point, I caught my breath, knowing that the final laps would have been difficult, so I was saving my strength and the tyre. I don’t know if I would have been able to overtake Aleix but, continuing at that pace, I would have tried. It’s a shame about the problem with the height device. Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do, so I preferred boxing so I wouldn’t be a danger to other riders. In any case, I’m happy. Our improvement curve is consistent and I feel like I’m close to the turning point of the season.”

Pecco Bagnaia – DNF

“It was a really strange crash, and both the data and my feelings don’t give a clear explanation about what happened. For sure, there was some mistake from my side, but I had been very smooth in acceleration on that lap, so I find it strange to have lost the rear like that. After such a perfect weekend, I’m even more disappointed about this crash”.

Álex Márquez – DNF

“Unfortunately, our race finished much earlier than we expected due to a technical issue with the bike. We worked really hard with a used tyre in the warm-up to understand how it was working with race pace on the last laps which was so important for today. But from the first lap I had a technical issue with my bike which made it impossible to ride, so I had to stop. I’m disappointed because we worked all weekend to get a good result, but that’s racing and technical issues can always happen.”

Takaaki Nakagami – DNF

“Of course, I’m really disappointed how things ended up. All weekend we worked on the race pace and it was pretty good and we were confident. But there was quite a big change in today’s conditions, there was a lot less grip somehow in the front and the rear hard compound tyres. From the first lap I didn’t feel any grip on the left side and I was struggling a lot with the front feeling too. Then crashed at turn eight, on the exit I lost the front, it was a strange crash. I’m really disappointed, I want to say sorry to all my team and let’s see what we can do in Assen.”

Joan Mir – DNF

“We decided to go out with the hard rear tyre instead of the medium, and it meant that in the early laps I didn’t really have the feeling. I was expecting that feeling to come as more laps passed and the tyre got up to temperature, but after a couple laps I still didn’t feel good. I had a close call with another rider and a small touch, and then I went wide and lost the front. It’s a shame, but we won’t let this disappointment ruin our optimism or our working spirit, I feel better and better with the bike and I will continue pushing for Assen.”

Darryn Binder – DNF

“Luckily I’m all good. It started off quite alright, I got quite a good jump off the line, but unfortunately, the first lap was a bit messy. I was going wide in turn three and ended up back in 23rd. Lap by lap I was picking up the guys one at a time, I think I came back to 18th in lap five and I finally got a bit of breathing room to push a bit to catch up to the guys in front of me. I was giving it a little bit of a push, but unfortunately, I just lost the front into the last corner and went down.”

Team Managers

Massimo Meregalli – Monster Yamaha Team Director

“This is another superb win for us with Fabio! This time we did it at a circuit where in the last few years we were not able to win, and Fabio wasn‘t even feeling 100% fit. The manner in which he controlled the race shows what he is capable of. He put his rivals under pressure to keep up at the start, and that paid off. The team did a great job! As for Franky, he was far down the grid, and at the Sachsenring it‘s very difficult to overtake, so we knew this race was going to be difficult for him. To start from 20th place and end it with some championship points is really not that bad. It’s clear that we need to make sure his qualifying improves for the other races. We have one more round to go before the summer break. We are highly motivated to give it our all in Assen next week.”

Francesco Guidotti – Red Bull KTM Team Manager

“Once again we missed Q2 by the smallest of margins and we knew how much that would affect our race, especially here where it is harder to regain positions on the start due to the short straight. We couldn’t use our power like we did in Mugello and Barcelona. We know this circuit is also hard for overtaking so all four riders were very brave. The bike is working well, we just need to be faster in qualifying for that better grid position and to play in the leading group. Our race pace was there. We still need to develop some parts of the bike where we know we can improve. It was a constant and solid race but not where we want to be. Considering the qualifying though we have to be pretty happy.”

Hervé Poncharal – Tech3 KTM Team Manager

“A great weekend here in Sachsenring for Tech3 KTM Factory Racing. Qualifying was not easy on Saturday, but we knew that both riders would be able to be competitive with their race pace. As usual, the start was difficult and we were last at the end of the first lap, but Raul Fernandez and Remy Gardner showed great determination and a great fighting spirit. Although it is difficult to overtake on this track, they made a lot of good moves on top riders such as Andrea Dovizioso, Franco Morbidelli and Pol Espargaro so I am proud of them.

“Raul has been fantastic in the race and had a similar pace to our reference points, Brad Binder and Miguel Olivereira. He feels good physically because he was feeling well at the end of the race, so this result is a great reward for his crew and himself. We had a tough start to the season but his work is starting to pay off. P12 is his best result in MotoGP, and I am sure that he will arrive in Assen with a lot of confidence.

“Remy did a great race and pushed a lot as always. He is a great element to the KTM family as he continues to provide us with valuable feedback on the bike, which is very important. He had a similar race than his teammate although he was not able to make the last move within the last laps.

“This is the second race back-to-back at the end of which we scored points with our two riders, so thank you guys, we are all very proud of you. We are doing a great job for our rookie season, and I hope that we will continue doing so next week in Assen.”

Livio Suppo – Suzuki Team Manager

“There’s not a lot to say; a bad day is a bad day. Our expectations for this race were very different, and unfortunately it was over before it really started. But thinking from a positive point of view, we will be able to get back on track in just a few days at a circuit that both our riders like and that suits our bike. We mustn’t let our heads drop, we’ll keep working and pushing forward.”

Ken Kawauchi – Suzuki Technical Manager

“We had to race with only one rider this weekend because of Alex’s injury, and then Joan crashed early in the race. It was a shame, not only because he had the potential to show good race pace and he wasn’t able to, but also because we couldn’t collect much information or data to improve our bike performance either. But we won’t give up, we’ll keep our focus on next weekend where hopefully we’ll have both riders on track and get some strong results.”

Pablo Nieto – Mooney VR46 Racing Team

“A great Sunday for Luca: a pity only for the overtakings in the first laps because he showed in the final that he had the pace to be able to fight for the podium. He did a great job with the whole Team and Ducati and he deserves to collect these results. Marco also did well, who did not give up after a difficult first part of the race. P11 is a consistency placement before the next GP in just seven days.”

Razlan Razali – Team Principal WithU Yamaha RNF

“Under an extremely hot condition, we saw Darryn crashing out after a few laps. He made a good start but then he fell back and recovered and was in a good position. However, after a couple of laps he crashed, which was a rookie error made. With Andrea, he was not feeling very well hence not in the best condition, but he persevered and fought through the race to finish 14th. We have one more race before the summer break in Assen next week. It will be in a cooler condition and we will do the best we can to support our riders to finish the first half of the season on a positive note.”

Wilco Zeelenberg – Team Manager WithU Yamaha RNF

“Two points for Andrea and he was not feeling very well today. He caught a bit of a flu the last two days, so chapeau, that he finished this long race and even battled for an extra point with Remy (Gardner). He was pleased and this is good to see, because this is for sure not his favorite race track. Darryn had a good start, but he had a little bit of a block moment, because he was running towards Stefan (Bradl), so he went back again to last. Then he improved a couple of positions and unfortunately, lost the front in the last turn in lap five. I think it was a bit too much too soon, no warning, he lost the front and he was on the floor. The rider is ok and we have to focus now on my home Grand Prix.”

Sachsenring MotoGP Race Results 2022

MotoGP Championship Points Standings