Another exciting MotoGP™ double header is just around the corner with the Grand Prix of Germany on the menu of the week for the Red Bull KTM Tech3 team. Maverick Viñales and Enea Bastianini will be excited for some Sachsenring fun, as tight corners, left turns and waterfalls await our two ambassadors this weekend on the shortest (3.67km) and slowest track of the calendar. After both Tech3 riders reached the top 10 at the Dutch Grand Prix, they will be looking forward to keeping the momentum going this week in Germany, with many MotoGP™ fans expected to attend this round 11, officially marking the half of the 2025 season.
Grand Prix of Germany
Maverick Viñales has shown competitiveness and consistency over the last rounds, making him one of the main contenders to stop the Ducatis. After another P6 in the sprint and a top 5 at the main event in Assen, ‘Top Gun’ will be arriving at Sachsenring with the confidence, and most importantly, the willingness to continue getting closer to the top. While the chase for the first podium in orange KTM continues, Maverick will first have to understand the potential of the RC16 on the German layout. The 10 out of 13 left corners spread through some steep slopes and falls always provide exciting and tight racing, and it is with no doubt that the number 12 will want to fight at the front. The Spaniard has already been two times on the podium in Germany, with his best result being a 2nd place in 2019. Enea Bastianini’s best result at the Sachsenring is a 4th place last season, so we know from the facts that the Italian can be strong in Germany. However, we will have to see how the ‘Bestia’ evolves with his RC16 on this very narrow layout. The left trend of this track and the very few changes of directions, something Enea has been struggling with, could allow Enea to show more of his potential this weekend, after a positive Dutch GP campaign.
Get ready to get dizzy as we’ll turn left all weekend! The action of the 2025 Grand Prix of Germany will start with Free Practice 1 on Friday at 10:45 local time (UTC+2), followed in the afternoon by the key Practice, starting at 3pm. Then Super Saturday will see Maverick Vinales and Enea Bastianini hit the track with FP2 at 10:10, followed immediately by the qualifying sessions at 10:50. If races at the short Sachsenring are always entertaining to watch, you do not want to miss out on the Tissot Sprint at 15:00 on Saturday afternoon. Finally, after ten minutes of warm up in the morning, Sunday will see the main race start at 14:00 (UTC+2), for 30 laps. Let’s turn left, and let’s be ready to race!
MAVERICK VIÑALES: "We had another really good weekend in Assen, so our target is to keep the momentum going and keep building and getting stronger round after round. However, the main target is to improve qualifying, and start from the first two rows. It is going to be even more important at the Sachsenring, which is a very technical track, with a lot of tight corners, so you can get stuck easily if you are in the middle of the pack. I am sure that we will learn a lot this week, because this track is quite different to the others, so I'm excited to see what our potential will be there! Anyway, I'm super excited and motivated, let's go!"
ENEA BASTIANINI: "We are arriving at Sachsenring positively after the Dutch GP where we achieved one of our best results of the season. The feeling on the bike was much better compared to the previous rounds, so I am hoping we will be able to continue working in that direction. Sachsenring is a fun track, with a lot of tight corners, but we will have to understand how we can approach this track with the KTM. Let's see how we feel on Friday, and then we will go from there, but it is important that we improve our grid position, it remains one of our main targets."
NICOLAS GOYON, Team Manager: "After a very good weekend in Assen where we saw both our Red Bull KTM Tech3 riders finish in the top 10, we are now moving to the shortest and most atypical circuit of the calendar, Sachsenring. This small anticlockwise circuit is well-known to be a real challenge on a MotoGP machine, but Maverick Viñales is currently in one of his best career-forms, he has integrated the top 10 in the championship standing, so we know that he is ready to take on this challenge. In Assen, we saw that the bike made a step in terms of turning and stability, which are two crucial and technical skills required to be fast in Germany. If Maverick manages a good qualifying, one of our main targets, we can expect a strong weekend from him. Enea Bastianini has shown better performances lately, especially in the last two rounds, and he will aim to carry on this momentum and hopefully reach Q2 for the first time this season. With four KTMs in the top 11 in Assen, our bike has clearly made a step, and I am sure that Enea will take advantage of it to continue his adaptation and improve his results."
ABOUT THE TRACK
Car and bike races have been held on closed public roads in the area around the town of Chemnitz, Germany since the 1920s and were still taking place until as recently as 1990. It was decided, however, that the five mile course through such a densely populated area was no longer suitable and a new circuit was built five miles west of Chemnitz in 1996. Although mainly used as a driver training centre and road transport safety station, Sachsenring first hosted MotoGP™ in 1998 and many improvements have taken place since then, including a drastic layout enhancement in 2001. Numerous tight corners make it one of the slower tracks on the calendar but there is never any shortage of close racing action.
TRACK RECORDS
All Time Record: 2024 - J. Martin (SPA) - 1'19.423 - 166.3 km/h
Best Race Lap: 2024 - J. Martin (SPA) - 1'20.667 - 163.8 km/h
Best Pole: 2024 - J. Martin (SPA) - 1'19.423 - 166.3 km/h
Top Speed: 2024 - P. Acosta (SPA) - 306.8 km/h
