Under temperatures exceeding 30 degrees in the air and 50 degrees on the track, the Ducati rider scored his third pole of the season.

"We did a great job today in these conditions, it's very hot and tomorrow it will be even hotter," said the poleman after qualifying which was delayed due to technical problems.

On the Sachsenring track, Bagnaia will start on Sunday ahead of reigning world champion Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha), second.

"I'm super happy to be in the front row (...), our pace is quite good, the only question is what tire to use, but we are in a good position for tomorrow," said the overall leader, not in top form, at the finish.

The second Frenchman entered in the queen category, Johann Zarco (Ducati-Pramac), will start in third position.

Spaniard Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia), currently second overall 22 points behind Quartararo, Italian Fabio Di Giannantonio (Ducati-Gresini) and Australian Jack Miller (Ducati) make up the second row on the grid.

The Italian Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lonovo) author of the pole position of the German GP of MotoGP, June 18, 2022 on the circuit of Sachsenring Ronny Hartmann AFP

As in Catalonia at the beginning of June, Enea Bastianini (Ducati-Gresini), provisionally third in the championship, again signs a bad operation and will only start from 17th place on Sunday.

In general, the Italian is closely followed by Zarco, only three units behind with 91 points.

Records upon records, without Marquez

Proof of his super form in Saxony since the start of the weekend, Bagnaia had snatched the track record on Friday.

A time that continued to fall on Saturday morning.

In the third practice session on Saturday morning, Espargaro was the first driver of the day to break this fledgling record.

He then improved it even more... only to quickly lose it to the 25-year-old Italian.

French world champion Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha) during free practice for the German MotoGP GP on June 17, 2022 at the Sachsenring circuit Ronny Hartmann AFP

"I was surprised to start a weekend like this yesterday, but the good feelings increased session after session and now I feel very comfortable with everything," admitted Bagnaia.

Before the arrival of the paddock in Saxony, the track record was held until then by the Spaniard Marc Marquez (Honda), ultra dominating on the German track - since 2013, he is the only one to have won there in MotoGP -, but again removed from the circuits.

At the beginning of June, he had surgery for the fourth time on his right arm after a fall in 2020 and is out of action for an indefinite period.

If the misfortune of some is the happiness of others, the absence of the six-time MotoGP world champion is therefore the perfect opportunity for the competition to have (finally) a real chance of snatching victory.

Starting with Zarco, who won pole position last year on the German track, putting a first brake on Marquez's unchallenged domination in Saxony.

"It's positive for us not to have Marc (Marquez) this weekend, it's one more place on the podium to take to, perhaps, be able to make history by snatching a victory after him" , had also joked the Cannes resident.

French world champion Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha) during free practice for the German MotoGP GP on June 17, 2022 at the Sachsenring circuit Ronny Hartmann AFP

Another Spaniard absent from the Sachsenring circuit for the rest of the weekend, Alex Rins (Suzuki), seventh in the championship, withdrew on Saturday due to a fractured wrist during the Catalunya GP two weeks ago.

If, following a last favorable medical opinion pronounced on Thursday, Rins took part in free practice on Friday and Saturday morning, he preferred to abstain for the rest of the weekend and save himself for the disputed Dutch GP. next week.

© 2022 AFP