Paddock Radar from MotoGP at the Sachsenring

• Lothar Matthäus waves the winners home at the Sachsenring
• Yvonne Catterfeld provides spine-tingling moments
• Rider presentation thrills visitors

A welcome worthy of a world champion
The many big-name guests at the Liqui Moly Motorcycle Grand Prix of Germany included football European champion and World Cup winner Lothar Matthäus. The German with the record for the most international caps was impressed by the party mood amongst MotoGP fans, and waved the chequered flag to mark the end of the Grand Prix on Sunday. Matthäus was not the only footballer present: RB Leipzig player Maarten Vandevoordt and Maximilian Arnold from VfL Wolfsburg also visited the Sachsenring.

Yvonne Catterfeld gives fans goosebumps ahead of the Grand Prix
Yvonne Catterfeld achieved fame in the early 2000s as an actress and singer. This weekend, the lady born in Erfurt took on what was, for her, a rather unusual role: Catterfeld waved the chequered flag at the end of Saturday's Tissot Sprint. On Sunday, the 46-year-old returned to her roots. Ahead of the start of the Grand Prix at 14:00, she had the honour of singing the German national anthem.

Support from the world of politics
Saxon politicians made a strong statement in favour of the Grand Prix at the Sachsenring. Minister President Michael Kretschmer, the patron of the Liqui Moly Motorcycle Grand Prix, was joined for Sunday's race by more politicians. They included Minister Prof. Constanze Geiert (Justice), Barbara Klepsch (Culture and Tourism), Armin Schuster (Interior) and member of the Bundestag Elisabeth Kaiser.

Lively atmosphere
The rider presentation in the kart hall is traditionally the highlight of an entertaining and varied event programme at the German round of MotoGP. A large number of world championship riders once again enjoyed the walkabout and were cheered on frenetically by countless fans. The guests included MotoGP riders Jorge Martín, Jack Miller, Toprak Razgatlioglu and Luca Marini, as well as the Moto2 and Moto3 riders from German team Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP. The crew from ServusTV and DF1, with Alina Marzi, Stefan Bradl, Alex Hofmann and Christian Brugger, were also given a warm and loud welcome.

Swapping the cowshed for the racetrack
Laura Wagner, who is known for her appearance in the successful TV series "Bauer sucht Frau" (Farmer Wants a Wife), not only likes farmers, but also fast bikes. The high school teacher is determined to get her motorcycle licence soon, and enjoyed the MotoGP race at the Sachsenring. The 26-year-old was impressed by the extraordinary atmosphere around the circuit. "That was an awesome experience. I have followed MotoGP for a long time, but it is far more intense live," said Wagner.

Local trophies
The trophies at the Liqui Moly Motorcycle Grand Prix of Germany were once again real eye-catchers. In keeping with tradition, the trophies were made by Metallbau Maltitz from the Saxon municipality of Gersdorf. The company has been making the trophies for the MotoGP race weekend in Germany for 18 years.

Girl power
A special media get-together took place in the Media Center on Friday: several established women from the world of MotoGP spoke about their background and illustrated the various career paths open to women wishing to be involved in the motorcycle world championship. The inspiration behind the event was the book "Building Speed" by Suse Muehlemeier, who travelled to the event specially and presented her work. The discussion was led by Sky presenter Lisa Hofmann. Participants included Frances Wyld (Sporting Communications & Press Senior Manager MotoGP) and Elena De Cia (Aprilia Racing Strategy & Data Analysis Lead).

Record-breaking figures
MotoGP once again made history at the Liqui Moly Motorcycle Grand Prix of Germany. The track record fell in both the top class and Moto2. It was Marc Márquez who set the latest top time: the "King of the Ring" not only secured pole position with his record-breaking lap in qualifying, but also made statistical history. His ninth pole at the Sachsenring makes the Spaniard the rider with the most pole positions at a single racetrack since records began in 1974. Together with his brother Álex Márquez and Fabio Di Giannantonio, he also formed part of the first all-Ducati front row since the 2025 Malaysian Grand Prix. Márquez's sprint victory also saw him move out by himself at the top of the all-time list of Saturday race winners. He also leads the way when it comes to sprint podiums (35).

Legendary colours
The BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP Team is celebrating a big birthday this year: founded by the now deceased world champion Fausto Gresini, the team has been in existence for 30 years. The Italians are marking the big anniversary with various special liveries. On the Sunday of the MotoGP round in Germany, Spain's Álex Márquez sported the iconic blue and yellow colours from the 2003 season. Back then, his compatriot Sete Gibernau won the German Motorcycle Grand Prix for the Gresini team, following a battle with Italian legend Valentino Rossi that produced the closest finish at the new Sachsenring.

Minute's applause for Marc van der Straten
On Thursday afternoon, thoughts were with Marc van der Straten, who passed away recently. The Belgian was 78 years old and was the original founder of the Marc VDS team. The team has raced in the world championship since 2010 and guided Spaniard Esteve "Tito" Rabat (2014), Italy's Franco Morbidelli (2017) and Marc Márquez's brother Álex (2019) to the world title in the Moto2 class. As a mark of respect to van der Straten, the world championship entourage paid their respects to van der Straten with a minute's applause on the start/finish straight, rather than a minute's silence.