German GP: With Marc Marquez on the sidelines, who will be the new king of Sachsenring?

Bengaluru, June 14: The MotoGP caravan moves to Sachsenring for the Liqui Moly Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland as the 2022 MotoGP World Championship reaches its halfway mark.

There is throwing down the gauntlet and then there is Fabio Quartararo's (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) Catalan GP.

The 2022 FIM MotoGP World Championship leader is now 22 points clear after drama hit for key rivals Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) and Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP), plus that late race heartbreak for Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) that saw him cede more points than he thought.

And now, it is time for a new name on the top step in Sachsenring, Germany for the first time since 2012.

Marquez missing

Last year it seemed a long shot for King of the Sachsenring Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) to retain his crown, but retain it he did to make some more history.

Now, the number 93 is back on the sidelines after another big challenge in his racing future, but that offers a huge opportunity for those on the chase, and most likely Quartararo.

Advantage Quartararo

The Frenchman's form in the Catalan GP was immense, and he surely leads the list of candidates to take to the Sachsenring throne.

With the tight and twisty track offering some respite from the long straights and horsepower measuring contests of some recent venues, Yamaha should be in a stronger position too. Can Quartararo extend that lead further this weekend?

Bagnaia's challenge

For Ducati, despite the huge leaps forward towards arguably the best bike on the grid, the Sachsenring still proved a challenge in 2021. The venue may be the only one left that still merits talking about a track suiting a factory, or not as the case may be.

Bagnaia led the charge last season with Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) for close company though, and it was a fight for a place in the top five - a far cry forward from even fairly recent history. What can Bagnaia do now on the bounce back? Can Miller find some mojo?

Sachsenring stunner

Last year, the resistance was led by KTM. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was within 1.7sec of Marquez to take second, no mean feat, and Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) came home fourth to put Quartararo in an Austrian sandwich.

So, who will stand on the top step at the Liqui Moly Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland? There will be no one on the grid who's ever done it before, so there is plenty to watch out for in the 2022 FIM MotoGP World Championship too.

Tune in at 2pm local time (5.30pm IST) on Sunday (June 19) for another Sachsenring stunner as we reach the halfway point on the 2022 FIM MotoGP World Championship.

(By a special arrangement with Dorna Sports)