The Sachsenring’s unique characteristics were once again mastered thanks to the performance and consistency of the MICHELIN Power Slick tyres. Usually seeing little track activity during the year, the circuit gradually gained grip as the motorcycles completed more laps, allowing riders and teams to fine-tune their set-ups and tyre choices from the opening day. The benchmark lap time was progressively approached until Marc Márquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) produced the perfect lap to take pole position with a time that became the circuit’s new all-time MotoGP record.
Located in Hohenstein-Ernstthal, in the German state of Saxony, the Sachsenring once again subjected the tyres to particularly high levels of stress. At just 3.671 km in length, with 13 corners – ten of them left-handers – and significant elevation changes, the shortest circuit on the calendar gives the tyres virtually no respite. Constantly under load, they have only a straight of barely 700 metres on which the forces they are subjected to are momentarily reduced.
Weather conditions were more stable than last year, when rain had played a part on Saturday before warmer conditions returned for the Grand Prix. In an environment therefore favourable to finding the right set-up, Michelin’s partners were able to test every combination of the three MICHELIN Power Slick specifications available for the front and the two options offered for the rear.
For the Tissot Sprint (27°C air temperature, 42°C track temperature), all the riders selected the Hard front tyre, benefiting from good feeling and perfectly consistent performance, while the Soft rear was the almost unanimous choice.
For the Grand Prix, the Hard front remained the favourite for every rider, while Michelin’s partners opted for the Medium rear tyre (44°C track temperature at the start), renowned for its consistent performance over longer distances.
Piero Taramasso, Michelin Motorsport Two-Wheel Competition Manager: “Mission accomplished! Once again, this unusual circuit confirmed that it is one of the most demanding tracks of the season for the tyres. But we had brought the right compounds for the challenge, allowing our partners to push with confidence. The performance was there, as was the consistency. The lap record was broken and the Tissot Sprint duration was improved by almost six seconds, which is considerable for a run lasting barely more than 20 minutes.
“The most spectacular section remains Turn 11, a long right-hand corner considered by all the riders to be a particularly delicate moment after a sequence of seven left-hand turns. In this critical phase, our asymmetric tyres provided the level of confidence required to allow the riders to push the limits and fully express their performance.
“We delivered throughout the entire weekend, and this was reflected in the lap times. We leave the Sachsenring with great satisfaction and two new records.”
For the Liqui Moly Grand Prix of Germany, Michelin provided its partners with three asymmetric MICHELIN Power Slick specifications (Soft, Medium and Hard) for the front wheel and two asymmetric options (Soft and Medium) for the rear. This package made it possible to cover all track conditions and respond to every variation in temperature.
On Saturday, the Tissot Sprint was won by Marc Márquez (Ducati Lenovo Team), ahead of his brother Alex Márquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP Team) and Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team).
On Sunday, Marc Márquez once again took victory in the Grand Prix, ahead of Ai Ogura (SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team) and his teammate Raúl Fernández.
New Sachsenring records
With an impressive pole position lap, Marc Márquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) improved on the previous benchmark set by Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team). The Spanish rider produced the perfect lap in 1’19.041, setting a new all-time MotoGP lap record at the Sachsenring.
The Tissot Sprint duration – for which the previous benchmark dated back to 2024 following the rain-affected 2025 edition – was improved by almost six seconds: 20’12.978 compared with 20’18.904 two years earlier.
Pedro Acosta and Francesco Bagnaia remain the fastest MotoGP riders ever recorded at the Sachsenring (306.8 km/h), but their benchmark was equalled by Ai Ogura (SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team) during the Tissot Sprint.
See you in four weeks
The MotoGP World Championship now heads into its summer break. The next race will take place from 7 to 9 August at Silverstone Circuit (England) for the Qatar Airways Grand Prix of Great Britain.
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