Ducati is the benchmark, Marquez is factor X

Marc Marquez is undoubtedly the “King of Sachsenring”. Eleven victories there bear witness to this, eight in the premier class MotoGP alone. A left course, almost uninterrupted banking, all of which suits him very well. Will it also work in the sprint today or in the Grand Prix on Sunday? I would wish it for him, but it’s no longer as certain as it used to be with the former Spanish miracle worker. And the Ducati dominance is not really to blame for that.

Sure, four upper arm surgeries, two bone transplants, a bone marrow infection, double vision twice and finally a metacarpal fracture, all of this has left its mark on the former world champion. But I don’t think the guy forgot how to drive overnight.

Rather, it is his Honda, which is simply not giving anymore at the moment. The factory is in the same dilemma as its Japanese competitors from Yamaha, who can no longer score with their former strengths of driveability and cornering speed as they used to. The belief that Honda will be rid of all worries with the new Kalex chassis is also exaggerated. Nothing happens overnight in this series. What is it then?

It is often discussed behind closed doors in the paddock, but to this day no one says it really openly. The standard tire from Michelin – please don’t misunderstand, certainly a fantastic product – poses quite a problem for all teams and some just more. It only allows one driving pattern. “The line is very narrow to have the right tire in the right temperature window to get the performance right,” said Miguel Oliveira in the past. And that is far from easy. If you drive in a group, the tires will get hot faster. If you are traveling alone, you have the problem that it goes in the other direction.

Many strange-looking failures out of the blue, from which a World Cup leader like Francesco Bagnaia was not spared in America, for example, speak a clear language. You have to imagine: He takes pole in Austin, wins the sprint, leads Sunday’s race – and suddenly slips away. The viewer in front of the TV would assume: a driving error. Rather, it was an unexpected loss of traction.

Ducati – currently the absolute benchmark – the ever-growing men from KTM and Aprilia still have this sensitive system under control better than the other factories.

A very special route

But the Sachsenring is and will remain very special. Casey Stoner took the only Ducati victory in Saxony in 2008. And as Bagnaia said recently: “Marc has special skills on this track.” For him, the line between triumph and the next failure is narrower than ever.

Gustl Auinger was born in Lambach and is a former world championship driver. Today he is patron of the Rookies Cup and TV expert for ServusTV. The broadcaster shows what is happening at the Sachsenring Saturday (from 10:40 a.m.) and Sunday (11:00 a.m.) live.