Miller Secures Direct Q2 Spot as Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP Shows Strong Pace at Sachsenring
Jack Miller confirms his affinity with the Sachsenring by finishing fifth in Friday Practice and securing direct access to Q2, while Toprak Razgatlıoğlu faces another recovery challenge after ending the day in 19th.
GRAND PRIX OF GERMANY
PRACTICE
Sachsenring (Germany), 10th July 2026
5th
JACK MILLER + 0.447 / 28 LAPS
19th
TOPRAK RAZGATLIOGLU + 1.467 / 20 LAPS
Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP enjoyed its strongest opening day of the season at the Sachsenring, with Jack Miller delivering his best Friday performance of the year. The Australian made the most of a circuit whose technical layout appears well suited to the characteristics of the Yamaha YZR-M1, consistently running inside the top ten throughout both sessions before securing fifth place in the decisive afternoon Practice. Less than half a second covered Miller and the fastest rider of the day, as he comfortably earned direct passage into Saturday's Q2, providing further evidence of the steady progress being made by the project.
Miller's performance continues a long-standing affinity with the Sachsenring, where he made his Grand Prix debut in 2011 and has enjoyed several memorable results throughout his career, including a MotoGP podium with third place in 2022. Fresh from helping Yamaha Factory Racing claim second place at last weekend's Suzuka 8 Hours, the Australian arrived in Germany full of confidence and immediately translated that momentum into a competitive start to the weekend. His pace throughout Friday confirmed both his comfort with the demanding German circuit and the team's growing understanding of the YZR-M1 package.
For Toprak Razgatlıoğlu, Friday followed a familiar pattern. The Turkish rookie ended Practice in 19th position and will therefore have to battle through Q1 on Saturday. As he has acknowledged himself on several occasions this season, finding the right feeling and extracting his maximum performance from the opening day of the weekend remains one of the biggest challenges of his MotoGP adaptation. Encouragingly, however, each Grand Prix has shown the same positive trend, with significant improvements arriving on Saturday and, even more noticeably, during Sunday's race, where his pace has often been comparable with the riders fighting for the top ten.
Saturday will therefore present two different objectives for Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP. Miller will aim to capitalise on his direct place in Q2 and fight for a strong grid position, while Razgatlıoğlu will look to continue the progression that has become a hallmark of his rookie campaign by advancing through Q1 before building towards the Sprint. With the technical nature of the Sachsenring appearing to suit the Yamaha package, the team remains confident there is further potential to unlock over the remainder of the weekend.
It was a really good day all around. After riding at Suzuka last weekend, it took me a couple of laps this morning to get back into the rhythm of the MotoGP bike, but from then on I felt competitive straight away. Looking at the calendar, Sachsenring was always one of the circuits we thought could suit our package, so it's nice to see that confirmed on track.
This layout plays to some of the strengths of the Yamaha because it's a short, technical circuit where overall balance and corner speed are more important than outright engine performance. Today we also completed all the sessions with the engine that already has the highest mileage, so tomorrow we'll have a fresher one available, which is another positive.
Finishing fifth and going directly into Q2 is already a great result for us. The goal now is simply to keep working in the same direction, qualify as close to the front as possible and hopefully secure a place on the first two rows of the grid.
TOPRAK RAZGATLIOGLU Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP rider
It wasn't an easy day, but we learned a lot. I know exactly where I'm losing the most time, especially through Sector 2. Turns 5, 6 and 7 are the biggest challenge for me at the moment because I'm still not riding those corners the way I want to. That's where almost all the gap comes from.
Apart from that section, I think we've made some improvements compared to previous weekends. If I can improve those corners, we'll be able to take another step forward. Following other riders also helps because I can better understand the lines and braking points, but the most important thing is to find the right feeling with the bike there.
We completed many laps today and collected a lot of useful data. Now it's up to us to analyse everything and continue improving both the bike and my riding. Tomorrow will be another important day with FP2, qualifying and the Sprint, and I'm confident there's still time to find more performance.
Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP Rider
This layout plays to some of the strengths of the Yamaha because it's a short, technical circuit where overall balance and corner speed are more important than outright engine performance. Today we also completed all the sessions with the engine that already has the highest mileage, so tomorrow we'll have a fresher one available, which is another positive.
Finishing fifth and going directly into Q2 is already a great result for us. The goal now is simply to keep working in the same direction, qualify as close to the front as possible and hopefully secure a place on the first two rows of the grid.