2026 German MotoGP starting grid after penalties, Bezzecchi’s withdrawal

Marc Marquez will head the field for the 2026 German MotoGP at Sachsenring after a commanding qualifying performance as injury and penalties reshape the starting grid for Sunday’s race.

The reigning champion secured pole position with a lap of 1:19.041s, edging out his brother Alex Marquez by 0.061s and Fabio Di Giannantonio by 0.147s in an all-Ducati front row lock out.

Trackhouse Aprilia’s Raul Fernandez delivered a strong lap to take fourth on the grid, while teammate Ai Ogura continued his impressive form by qualifying fifth, 0.307s off the benchmark.

Fabio Quartararo rounds out the second row in sixth-place after progressing through Q1, proving that Yamaha’s latest developments can still produce a competitive one-lap package when everything comes together.

Marco Bezzecchi was slated to start from eighth, but the Aprilia rider was forced to withdraw from the remainder of the German MotoGP after sustaining a collarbone injury following his heavy qualifying crash.

Both Franco Morbidelli and Diogo Moreira received three-place grid penalties for obstructing other riders during Friday’s practice, an outcome that altered the row-by-row layout for Sunday’s race.

Morbidelli had qualified seventh before the sanction, while Moreira originally qualified 15th, meaning both riders were forced to surrender track position before the lights even go out.

Bezzecchi’s withdrawal and Morbidelli’s penalty promotes Jorge Martin to seventh ahead of Pedro Acosta and Francesco Bagnaia, with Morbidelli dropping to the fourth row.

Updated 2026 German MotoGP starting grid