The 2026 MotoGP season continues to be a war of attrition and former world championship leader Marco Bezzecchi will be an absentee for the German Grand Prix at the Sachsenring after sustaining a collarbone injury in a high-speed crash in qualifying.
Bezzecchi, who won the first three races of the season, dropped behind his Aprilia teammate Jorge Martin after the last round in the Netherlands and this will be the fourth successive grand prix in which he has failed to score.
Marc Marquez took pole despite some initial concerns about his pace this weekend and he led all the way in Saturday's sprint race to win a disappointingly tame affair ahead of his brother Alex Marquez, with Fabio Di Giannantonio in third.
The series has produced six different winners in the last seven races since Bezzecchi's fast start, however, so maybe there will be more surprises in the main event in Germany.
MotoGP Germany Tips Summary
Best Bet - Fabio Di Giannantonio each-way @ 13/2
Alternative Bet - Ai Ogura each-way @ 7/1
Alternative Bet - Francesco Bagnaia each-way @ 25/1
MotoGP Germany Prediction
Best Bet: Fabio Di Giannantonio each-way @ 13/2
The Sachsenring sprint was one of the least eventful of the season to date, with Marc Marquez getting away from pole in the lead and holding off his brother Alex to win without ever really looking like being overhauled.
Marquez junior and Fabio Di Giannantonio were both close behind for the majority of the race without ever being able to land a real blow, with the Trackhouse Aprilia duo of Ai Ogura and Raul Fernandez in fourth and fifth.
The new starting regulations came in this weekend with more space between the rows of riders on the grid and while that led to a safe start for all involved, it also left the pack evenly spaced out and the nature of the twisting track in Saxony meant there was a real dearth of overtaking in the race.
Tyre wear could be more of a factor in the race and lead to more exchanging of positions late in the event at least, but it's not a hugely appealing event for bettors with the favourite to short to back but not easy to oppose either.
Alex Marquez and Di Giannantonio both closed up at times and the Trackhouse pair showed pace too, so preference is to have some small each-way interests with the podium places still looking up for grabs.
Diggia is perhaps the best place to start as the Italian found some form in qualifying and again looked competitive in the sprint, when he was challenging for second towards the end.
With seven top-four finishes in the last nine rounds and a podium on Saturday, the Italian should be capable of another top-three finish on Sunday.
Alternative Bet: Ai Ogura each-way @ 7/1
Ai Ogura added his name to this list of grand prix winners in the Netherlands and the Japanese rider is having an excellent second season at the top level.
The 25-year-old 2024 Moto2 champion has had four consecutive top-four finishes in grands prix and was second in both races in Czechia before being second in the sprint and winning the main event at Assen.
This track is maybe not quite up Aprilia's street as the bike turns better in fast corners rather than slow ones, which are more common at the Sachsenring, but both Trackhouse riders were competitive in the sprint and another podium finish cannot be ruled out.
Alternative Bet: Francesco Bagnaia each-way @ 25/1
For a bigger-priced contender with hopes of a top-three finish, consider Francesco Bagnaia. The Ducati rider had been on the podium - or more specifically, third - in four straight races, also winning the sprint race in the Czech Republic before suffering technical issues at Assen.
However, he was lively again in the sprint after a slow start to the weekend. He was seventh in the shorter race after qualifying only 11th and has more time to work his way into contention on Sunday.
Key Race Stats
Marco Bezzecchi will miss the race due to injury
Marc Marquez has won nine MotoGP races at the Sachsenring
Francesco Bagnaia, Jorge Martin and Fabio Quartararo are other former winners in the field
Ducati riders have won the last three races at this venue
Ai Ogura became the sixth different winner in the last seven rounds with his Dutch TT success
Championship leader Jorge Martin has won only one race this season
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
