Carsten Steger, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

MotoGP takes over the Sachsenring for round 11 of a very exciting season, with 4 riders all in contention to lead the pack into the summer break. And with the track being a Marc Marquez favourite, maybe this is the weekend where he truly places himself in the title picture. Here is the big news heading into the weekend.

Four riders in contention to lead into the Summer break

As the season approaches its halfway point, the Championship picture is well and truly open, with the top 4 all mathematically capable of leading the pack into the Summer break. Jorge Martin currently leads the way on 193 points, and after a podium in Assen, he is hoping to carry on the momentum at the German GP.

In second place sits Marco Bezzecchi on 186 points, who led the way in the championship prior to his massive crash at the Dutch Grand Prix a couple of weeks ago. Bezz has had a torrid time of late, scoring only 7 points in the last 3 Grand Prixs. The Italian was lucky to escape Assen relatively unscathed and will be looking to bounce back this weekend.

Third is the newly announced KTM factory rider for next year, Fabio Di Giannantonio, who sits 16 points behind the championship leader. It has been a year of consistency for Diggia, who has shown a massive step up in his pace from last season. The Wolf is currently the leading Ducati rider and is pushing for more glory before departing the VR46 team at the end of the season.

And finally, sitting in fourth place is the sensational Ai Ogura, who took his maiden MotoGP victory last time out in Assen. Ogura currently sits 25 points back from championship leader Martin and seems the most unlikely of the bunch to be leading into the Summer Break. However, his recent momentum on the Trackhouse Aprilia bike has raised a lot of eyebrows about whether this could be a championship-winning year for the satellite team. He will be looking to carry on his recent momentum into the Summer break with another strong result at the Sachsenring.

Can Marc Marquez Close the Gap?

This is a big weekend for the World Champion, Marc Marquez, who is looking to claim a 13th win at the Sachsenring. Marquez seemed well and truly out of the championship hunt after a big crash in Le Man that required surgery. But, typical of the Spaniard, he wasn’t going to go down without a fight.

The seven-time MotoGP World Champion currently sits 40 points behind Jorge Martin. He is coming into the weekend on the back of an average result for the World Champion, who was taking a cautious approach to the Assen circuit. He will be looking for a good result at one of his happy hunting grounds on the calendar.

Since his return at the Mugello circuit, the nine-time World Champion has picked up on the errors made by the Aprilia riders, picking up wins at Balaton Park and Brno. A win this weekend would solidify his place in the championship picture.

The German Grand Prix can be followed live on TNT Sports this weekend or on the MotoGP VideoPass. Subscribe to Sports League to follow the big stories of the race weekend. And keep an eye on Monday for our reaction to the weekend.