Marquez matches Agostini record with Sachsenring win

With victory, Marquez matched Giacomo Agostini’s record for the most wins at a single venue, matching the Italian rider’s 13 wins at Finland’s Imatra Circuit.

Marquez dominated the 30-lapper at the shortest circuit on the MotoGP calendar, beating satellite Aprilia riders Ai Ogura and Raul Fernandez out of Trackhouse.

“The goal for the weekend was to attack in order to recover as many points as possible,” said Marquez.

“We managed to do so on a track that suits my riding style very well.

“I’m happy, but not completely happy: I would have loved to see Alex (Márquez) on the podium given the pace he had.

“Now it’s time for the summer break. I’d like to rest because this first half of the season was very demanding, but at the same time we need to make a step forward with my right arm.

“Maybe some people have forgotten because the results have been good, but the difference between left- and right-hand corners is huge.”

Championship leader Jorge Martin finished fifth behind factory KTM rider Pedro Acosta.

Ogura came into the weekend 25 points behind Martin, but his runner-up result has brought him within 16 points of the championship lead.

Marquez has also vaulted to third, turning a 40-point deficit into an 18-point gap to Martin.

VR46 rider Fabio Di Giannantonio came into the weekend just 16 points in arrears of Martin but crashed on Lap 4 and dropped to fifth in the standings, 24 points back.

“I’m okay, just a bit bruised,” said Di Giannantoinio.

“It’s a pity because the Sunday had started well and I had a really good feeling with the bike.

“I crashed this morning in warm-up and then again in the race, which wasn’t ideal, although these things can happen.

“I think we had great potential to fight for the podium, but unfortunately we didn’t get the chance to show it.

“We have to be happy with this first half of the season. We’ve worked really well as a team and there are plenty of positives to take away.

“We’re only 24 points behind the championship leader in a very tight world standings, so we have to keep believing and continue working the way we have been so far.

“Now we have the summer break, which will give me the chance to work hard on my body and focus on coming back at 100 percent.”

Alex Marquez, who had run second to his brother in the early laps, crashed on Lap 9 in the only other high-profile crash.

Jack Miller finished 12th for Yamaha satellite squad Pramac. He had run as high as 10th before slipping back in the final laps.

“It was a really good race until the final few laps,” said Miller.

“I was able to stay with Fabio (Quartararo) for most of the distance, but I was having to use the rear tyre a little more than the riders around me to achieve the same lap time.

“Once the tyre dropped, I started to struggle with grip and had to switch to a different engine map just to bring the bike home.

“It’s disappointing because a top-ten finish was definitely within reach, but at the same time we showed we had the pace to fight in that group for most of the race.

“We didn’t want to make big changes to the bike after yesterday because it was already working quite well, and overall I think we were competitive throughout the weekend.

“The progression is there. We’re getting closer step by step, and hopefully the team can use the summer break to find a little more performance before the second half of the season.

“I knew this project would have difficult moments when I signed up, so it’s about taking the small gains, keeping our heads down and continuing to work.

“That’s the only way we’ll keep moving forward.”

MotoGP takes a month-long break before returning on August 7-9 for the Grand Prix of Great Britain at Silverstone.

Results: MotoGP Grand Prix of Germany, Sachsenring