Johann Zarco raced out the blocks early at the Sachsenring to lead the field in opening practice for the German Grand Prix ahead of Honda’s Marc Marquez.
The 20 premier class competitors – down two with Honda duo Alex Rins and Joan Mir out through injury this weekend – slowly worked the times down from the start of the session around the fearsome venue, Zarco the first to post a representative fast time before several others took their turns at the top before a rain shower at the mid-point stopped play.
Zarco’s Pramac Ducati team-mate Jorge Martin held the top spot on a 1:21.433s until the brief shower stopped and the track swiftly dried, though juts under ten minutes remained.
This signified a flurry of fast times that came in across the final half-dozen minutes or so, though several riders had their efforts affected after Yamaha’s Franco Morbidelli crashed his M1 at the infamous Waterfall bend.
Zarco managed to find improvement after the yellow flags were lifted though and move through to the head of the times on a 1:20.702s to narrowly edge Marc Marquez – who enters the weekend hopeful of continuing his unbeaten premier class record at the Sachsenring – to the FP1 scratch time.
Aleix Espargaro ended the opening test of the event third fastest despite suffering an awkward crash at Turn 1 just prior to the rain making an appearance, the Aprilia man heading Ducati duo Alex Marquez and Martin.
Fabio Quartararo was sixth overall on his Yamaha, though the Frenchman suffered a minor get-off at Turn 1 just after he finished his final time attack with just seconds remaining on the clock.
Brad Binder was a late improver for KTM in seventh ahead of series leader Francesco Bagnaia, while the under-pressure Fabio Di Gianantonio bagged ninth for Gresini ahead of Marco Bezzecchi in tenth – the VR46 pilot just 0.511s adrift of Zarco’s benchmark.
Maverick Vinales struggled to get up to pace on his Aprilia down in 13th overall, while Jack Miller got slightly unlucky with yellow flags at end as he remained stuck in 13th on the sister factory KTM RC16.
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