Marc Marquez maintained his strong performance at the Sachsenring on Saturday, breaking the track lap record to grab pole position for the German MotoGP and boosting his chances for another success at one of his favorite circuits.

The Ducati factory rider set a fast time of 1 minute, 19.041 seconds late in qualifying, beating his younger brother Alex Marquez by a mere 0.061 seconds for a family one-two on the front row. VR46 Ducati rider Fabio Di Giannantonio took third after holding the top spot temporarily.

This marked Marquez's third pole of the 2026 MotoGP season and his ninth in the premier class at Sachsenring, making him the first to reach that mark at the German track.

Known as the "King of the Ring," the current champion aims for his 13th win at the venue on Sunday, with 10 in the top class. Such a result would tie Giacomo Agostini's marks for most wins at one Grand Prix and most premier-class victories at a single circuit.

"The goal was to reach the front row," Marquez noted. "Breaking the lap record feels particularly satisfying."

Qualifying had an exciting conclusion as multiple riders had shots at pole.

Trackhouse Aprilia's Raul Fernandez led the times briefly before Di Giannantonio, the former record holder, set a quick lap to take provisional pole.

Marquez answered strongly with two fast laps on his last attempt, the final one unbeatable as he took the lead and updated the Sachsenring record.

Alex Marquez expressed disappointment at missing pole but noted the family success.

"I felt let down at first for not claiming pole," said the Gresini Racing rider. "Yet pleased to see Marc and myself back at the front."

Di Giannantonio felt content with third despite losing the record.

"The front row start mattered greatly, though I regret the lap record being taken," the Italian remarked. "Joking aside, I am pleased overall. I performed well. The Marquez brothers outperformed me today, but having this pace is enjoyable."

Fernandez ended up fourth after losing the lead, while teammate Ai Ogura placed fifth following his recent win at Assen.

Yamaha's Fabio Quartararo showed good form with the new front-wing update. He progressed from Qualifying One with Ducati's Francesco Bagnaia and took sixth.

Bagnaia failed to build on his Q1 result and starts 11th.

The day's main issue was for Aprilia's Marco Bezzecchi.

Recovering from a big crash at Assen, he crashed hard again on his second fast lap after the rear let go above 130 kph (81 mph). He went over the bars and rolled through the gravel.

Bezzecchi was eighth quickest before the incident but left on a scooter and did not continue. Exams showed a broken left collarbone, so he misses the rest of the weekend. Aprilia confirmed he returns to Italy for an operation.

This added to Aprilia's tough day, as championship leader Jorge Martin qualified only ninth.