High Stakes at Sachsenring: Can Marc Marquez Break His 987-Day MotoGP Drought Against Bagnaia and Martin?

Can Marc Marquez break his almost 1,000-day MotoGP losing streak at the Sachsenring?

Marc Marquez is the center of attention as he aims for his debut Ducati win at the Sachsenring, a track where he remains undefeated in MotoGP races.

If there’s any circuit where Marc Marquez might break his MotoGP losing streak, it's this weekend’s race at Sachsenring.

From 2010 to 2019, Marquez remained undefeated at the German circuit in 125cc, Moto2, and MotoGP categories. Following arm surgery, he secured his first win at the track in 2021.

Following additional surgery, he missed the 2022 season. His unfortunate comeback last year may have signaled the conclusion of his tenure with Honda: during practice, he showed his frustration by flipping off the RC213V, and a series of crashes over the weekend ultimately prevented him from competing in the grand prix.

The 31-year-old rider is back after reviving his career with Gresini Ducati this season, although his winless run in MotoGP, which dates back to Misano 2021, is still ongoing.

Finishing just half a second behind a potential first Ducati win at both Jerez and Le Mans, Marquez aims to break a 987-day winless streak this Sunday.

Owing to his record of not starting races, Marquez has technically never lost a MotoGP race at the Sachsenring. However, he now confronts strong competition from Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin.

The championship contenders are competing with the newest GP24, while Marquez is still using the older GP23. Bagnaia comes into this race having won five consecutive races, whereas Martin secured two victories at the Sachsenring last year.

“This is the track he’s passionate about—11 victories, including 8 in MotoGP. However, last year marked the start of his downfall with Honda following five crashes,” stated Jordan Moreland, host of the Crash.net MotoGP podcast.

"Riding the Ducati, there will be high expectations for him to secure a victory this weekend. However, Bagnaia and Martin, along with the GP24s, will pose significant challenges."

"Absolutely not," said Pete McLaren, MotoGP editor for Crash.net. "During the Marquez Honda era, it often felt like you could hand him the winner's trophy before the race weekend even began. This time, things will be different."

"There’s every reason to believe he will contend for the win, as he has at other circuits, so we can look forward to an exciting showdown among the top three contenders in the world championship."

"Marc also requires this since he has been losing ground to Martin and Pecco in the standings. He now needs to make a comeback before the summer break."

"Everyone aims to enter the break on a positive note, but I believe Marc has the luxury to take more chances compared to the other two. Given the slim 10-point gap between Martin and Pecco, they might exercise extra caution if the race becomes intense."

"They won't want to risk it because, for Martin, it might mean losing the championship lead. Meanwhile, for Bagnaia, it could mean undoing all the effort put into catching up to the top."

“Marc should definitely take a chance at this circuit, especially since it has typically been excellent for him, except for the previous year!”

"Marc mentioned at Assen that he had thought about retiring around this time last year. However, he's now set to become a factory Ducati rider in 2025," Moreland stated.

“Returning to the topic of this weekend, do you believe Marquez will face greater pressure due to his past performances at Sachsenring, or will Bagnaia and Martin feel more pressure to prevent him from succeeding?”

Motorcycle racing journalist Robert Jones commented: "Given the tight competition between Bagnaia and Martin, they might start focusing on each other. Moreover, there's significant pressure on Marc, especially since everyone anticipated he would have already secured a victory with Ducati, but he hasn't yet."

“Jerez presented a strong opportunity. He narrowly missed victory to Bagnaia in the grand prix and had an accident in the Sprint race while he was in the lead.”

Marc, perhaps more than any other competitor, enjoys signaling to his peers, and he won't want Bagnaia and Martin to feel at ease, believing they have him outmatched.

"Moreover, Marc will be determined not to let them defeat him on what he considers his own track."

"He might feel more at ease and willing to take chances due to his current position in the points standings, but the pressure to secure a victory will still weigh heavily on him."

Moreland commented, “Following Assen, Bagnaia was underestimating his prospects, suggesting that Marquez and Martin would have an edge at Sachsenring. However, I don’t buy that at all! Pecco will definitely be competitive too.”

“We are transitioning from a track that was highly favorable for Pecco. Now, we are at a venue where Marquez has an outstanding history and Martin claimed victory last year," McLaren stated. "Thus, the focus is on those competitors to react to Pecco's performance and challenge him at one of their strongest circuits.

“It’s difficult to imagine Pecco not being competitive this weekend, given his remarkable current performance. Hopefully, everyone will be in contention together.”

"Additionally, this will be Acosta's final opportunity to surpass Marquez's record as the youngest rider to win a MotoGP race."

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