The German Grand Prix at Sachsenring unfolds with Sam Lowes from Britain clinching pole and taking his first win of the season, the eighteenth pole of his career. The German track is set for a controversial day, and Lowes aims to convert this momentum into a strong result tomorrow as the championship battle heats up.
At the start of the weekend, Lowes stood fourteenth in the provisional world standings, a run of six consecutive zero scores putting pressure on him. The stakes are clear: a solid performance here could change the course of his season, especially since he has previously been among the title contenders in other campaigns.
Italian rider Celestino Vietti, aboard a Kalex, began the session with equal urgency and surged to the top of the timesheets in the early stages, posting a 1:23.786 just shy of Lowes by a few tenths. Jake Dixon, partnered with Marcel Schrotter, pushed hard as the session wore on, keeping the pressure tight with six minutes to go in the fight for pole position.
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In the later stages, the Italian duo of Vietti and Dixon fought their way into the higher ranks, with Tony Arbolino also entering the fray for a spot near the front. Jorge Navarro initially appeared prepared to compete for a better grid position, yet ultimately found himself in sixth, with Somkiat Chantra and Spaniard Marc VDS teammates also mixing it up in the chase for a strong starting slot.
Further back, Spaniards Joaquín and others found themselves conceding some ground as practice timed out. Albert Arenas, followed closely by his teammate Dixon, clocked a strong first fast lap in the 1:23 bracket, a tenth clear of another close challenger, signalling a competitive second division as the session evolved.
As the session progressed, the pace quickened and the riders’ rhythm became clearer. Sam Lowes remained the time to beat, and his 1:23.493 on lap six stood as a new benchmark. The absolute record, set at 1:23.397, lingered just out of reach, owned by a Spanish rider who had set the pace in previous seasons. Yet Lowes held firm, extending his pole tally with the eighteenth pole of his career, and the following pack – including Vietti, Arenas, and Dixon – chased in earnest.
No one could topple Lowes on the board, though several riders pressed hard to close the gap. Albert Arenas and Augusto Fernandez (Kalex) were among those who demonstrated strong form, while Jake Dixon earned a promising fourth place and looked to support his teammate as the weekend progressed.
Aron Canet, dealing with morning crashes that left him bloodied from his nose, nonetheless managed to finish sixth, placing him amid a tight group that included German rider Marcel Schrotter and Italian Tony Arbolino in a race for near-front-start positions. World championship leader Celestino Vietti finished eighth, showing a notable improvement over the day’s early practice but still well behind the leading pace. Pedro Acosta, another Spaniard in the mix, finished ahead of fellow countrymen Alonso López and Fermín Aldeguer, both riding Kalex and Boscocuro bikes respectively.
Manuel “Manugas” González ended the day in eighteenth, adding to a lineup that promised an exciting and unpredictable weekend around the Sachsenring circuit.