MotoGP, Germany: Bezzecchi is the fastest in free practice. Marc Marquez, nervousness and another crash

The impressive accident in the final minutes of the first day of free practice photographs Marc Marquez’s deepest crisis: the Cannibal, who has always dominated the Saxon track, shakes his head in despair. If it goes badly here too, then there’s very little hope for him of being competitive again: will it be another season – the fourth in a row – to forget? Today in Germany Bezzecchi is back to partying, best time ahead by only 4 cents of another Ducati – the Pramac one of the Spanish Martin – and by another 4 to the Aprilia of Aleix Espargarò, alive and kicking despite three micro-fractures in the heel right. Bagnaia is there, fourth time ahead of Miller’s Ktm and the M1 of a Quartararo who tries to re-emerge from the Yamaha swamp. The list of the top 10, those who go directly to tomorrow’s late morning Q2 (starting at 11.15) is completed by Marini, Bastianini, Alex Marquez and Zarco. On a circuit that they said was designed for Marc’s Honda, there were 8 Italian bikes up front (7 from Borgo Panigale, one from Noale), one Austrian and one Japanese from Iwata. Instead, they will be forced to Q1 – in addition to Marquez sr. – Binder, Morbidelli, Oliveira and Vinales.

Bezzecchi: “I followed Pecco, what luck”

“Today was a positive day overall”, comments Marco Bezzecchi, “but I’m still missing something on my pace despite the last-minute changes in the garage. I followed Pecco and did a good lap, I was lucky. But tomorrow we have to make some progress”, explains the Rimini native. “Really positive day”, smiles Jorge Martin: “I was fast, calm and constant. Aleix Espargarò, excellent time despite the crash: “Physically I’m fine, we went fast both in the morning and in the afternoon, I want to go back to the front with the ‘Aprilia”.

Borsoi (Pramac): “Marquez could at least apologise”

It was a Friday of crashes and uncertainty about performances, at least until the final minutes. The Cannibal’s tumble, which also ended up upside down earlier, was scary: at turn 1 he literally mowed down poor Zarco, who was entering the track to set the time. Luckily neither of them was hurt, apart from a little pain in the Frenchman’s shoulder (“I didn’t expect Marquez to go back to the pits without even apologizing to Yohann: he could have gotten very badly hurt, and destroyed his bike “, complained Gino Borsoi, team manager of Paolo Campinoti’s team. Only later, while a furious storm was hitting the paddock, Marc chased Zarco to clarify with him. “He should have been more careful”, the Catalan’s version. Alex Marquez also crashed today and right at the final hairpin, while he was about to set a very interesting lap time.In the dust – very angry – Vinales too with the RS_GP.