Here is the thing about opening days at the Sachsenring: when someone breaks a lap record straight out of the gate, you pay attention. That is exactly what Izan Guevara (BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2) did, stopping the clocks with a stunning 1:22.260 to top the timesheets in Germany. It was a proper statement of intent from the Spaniard, laying down a marker that nobody else could quite match.
Well, almost nobody. Closely trailing the BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2 machine was compatriot Ivan Ortola (QJMOTOR – R.O.M.E.A – MSI), who slotted into the runner-up spot. The gap between them? An razor-thin 0.036s. Right behind that battle came Dutch GP winner David Alonso (CFMOTO Azul Marino Aspar Team), wrapping up the top three and proving once again that he belongs right at the sharp end of this championship.
Further down the order, the home crowd at the Liqui Moly Grand Prix of Germany got plenty to cheer about with the Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP duo locking down P4 and P5 to close out Friday. Senna Agius ended up one spot ahead of his teammate and World Championship leader Manuel Gonzalez by a microscopic 0.005s. Both secured that vital provisional Q2 entry, though they are sitting on a three-tenth deficit to the front that they will desperately want to claw back by Saturday afternoon.
Elsewhere in the field, we saw some notable fights for survival and a few casualties. The returning Mario Aji (IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia) did a brilliant job to squeeze into the top fourteen with a P13 finish, landing just one place behind MotoGP-bound Daniel Holgado (CFMOTO Azul Marino Aspar Team). But there was heartbreak for Celestino Vietti (MB Conveyors SpeedRS Team). The Italian had a rough session, missing out entirely on a direct Q2 spot and ending Practice down in P18, staring at a yawning 0.897s gap back to Guevara's benchmark.
Now, the attention turns to the fight for the grid. Moto2 qualifying gets underway on Saturday afternoon at the Sachsenring at 13:40 local time (UTC +2), and if Friday is any indication, the margins are going to be agonizingly tight.
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