Can Marc Marquez end near 1,000 day MotoGP losing streak at 'his' Sachsenring?

If ever there was a track where Marc Marquez could end his MotoGP losing streak, this weekend’s Sachsenring round is it.

Unbeaten at the German circuit across 125cc, Moto2 and MotoGP machinery from 2010-2019, Marquez then took his first post-arm surgery victory at the venue in 2021.

Absent from the 2022 round after further surgery, last year’s miserable return arguably triggered the end of his Honda career: A middle finger to the RC213V in practice followed by a punishing weekend of accidents that ruled him out of the grand prix.

The 31-year-old returns having rejuvenated his fortunes at Gresini Ducati this season, but his MotoGP losing streak dating back to Misano 2021 continues.

Crossing the finish line within half a second of a first Ducati victory at Jerez and Le Mans, Marquez is seeking to end a 987-day drought on Sunday.

Due to his non-starts, Marquez has technically never been beaten in a MotoGP at the Sachsenring, but faces two formidable opponents in the form of Francesco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin.

Not only are the title leaders riding the latest GP24 vs Marquez’s older GP23, but Bagnaia arrives on the back of a five-race win streak while Martin did the double at Sachsenring last season.

“It's the track he loves. 11 race wins. 8 in MotoGP. But last year was the beginning of the end with Honda, after the five crashes,” said Crash.net MotoGP podcast host Jordan Moreland.

“Now on the Ducati, people will be expecting him to win this weekend. But the GP24s and especially Bagnaia and Martin are not going to make it easy.”

“Definitely not,” replied Crash.net MotoGP editor Pete McLaren. “There were times in the Marquez Honda years where you could almost give him the winner’s trophy before the weekend started. It won’t be like that this time around.

“There’s no reason to think he won’t be in the fight for victory, given he has been at other tracks, so let’s hope we see a real battle between the top three in the world championship.

“Marc needs that as well, because he’s been dropping away from Martin and Pecco in the points. Now he needs to take a bite back before the summer break.

“They all want to go into the break on a high but I also think Marc can afford to risk a bit more than the other two. With only 10 points between Martin and Pecco now, they'll maybe be a bit more careful if things get heated in the race.

“They won't want to throw it away because, if you're Martin, you could lose the title lead. And if you're Bagnaia, you could undo all of the hard work in closing back up to the top.

“But I think Marc’s just got to go for it at a track that’s been so great for him, apart from last year!”

“Marc even said at Assen that he had considered retiring at around this time last year. But now he’s going to be a factory Ducati rider in 2025,” said Moreland.

“Coming back to this weekend though, do you think there will be more pressure on Marquez after what he’s done at Sachsenring in the past, or on Bagnaia and Martin to stop him?”

Superbike/MotoGP reporter Robert Jones replied: “With Bagnaia and Martin so close now, they could have eyes on each other. But there’s a lot of pressure on Marc, also because we all expected him to win already on a Ducati and he hasn’t.

“Jerez was a very good chance. He just lost out to Bagnaia in the grand prix and crashed in the Sprint while he was leading that race.

“Marc, probably more than any other rider, also likes to send a message to other riders and he won't want Bagnaia and Martin getting comfortable, thinking they've got him covered.

“And Marc won’t want to be beaten by them at ‘his’ circuit.

“I think he'll be more relaxed in the sense that he can take more risks, because of the points standings, but I think there will still be so much pressure on his shoulders to win.”

Moreland added: “Bagnaia was playing down his chances after Assen, saying Marquez and Martin will have something extra for Sachsenring. But I don’t believe that for a second! Pecco will be right there as well.”

“We're coming from a great track for Pecco. Now we're at a track where Marquez has an incredible record and Martin won last year," McLaren said. "So the emphasis is on those guys to respond to Pecco and put the pressure on him at one of their best tracks.

“But it's hard to believe that Pecco is not going to be up there this weekend, given the stunning form he's in at the moment. Let’s hope they are all in the fight together. 

"And of course, it’s also the last chance for Acosta to beat Marquez's record as the youngest MotoGP race winner.”