July 11 (Reuters) - Marc Marquez broke the lap record at Sachsenring to take pole for the German Grand Prix on Saturday, clocking one minute 19.041 on his factory Ducati for his third pole of the MotoGP season.
Trackhouse Aprilia's Raul Fernandez briefly held provisional pole before VR46 Ducati's Fabio Di Giannantonio, the previous circuit record-holder, moved to the top of the timesheets in the closing stages.
But Marquez had the final say, producing a pair of rapid laps to reclaim top spot at a circuit where he has enjoyed unparalleled success. The Spaniard finished 0.061 seconds clear of younger brother Alex Marquez, who secured second place for Gresini Racing to complete a Marquez one-two on the grid.
"Getting on the front row was the target. Especially setting the lap record feels good," Marquez said.
Di Giannantonio had to settle for third, while Fernandez slipped from provisional pole to fourth, ahead of Trackhouse teammate and Assen winner Ai Ogura in fifth.
"Getting front row was super important, but disappointed about the lap record being stolen," Di Giannantonio said.
"Jokes apart, I am really happy. I think I have done well. Sure, Marquez brothers were better than me today. But it's nice to have this kind of speed here."
Aprilia's Marco Bezzecchi, still nursing injuries from his heavy crash at Assen last week, endured another frustrating session when he crashed on his second flying lap in qualifying. The Italian returned to the paddock on a scooter and did not rejoin the session, ending any hopes of a front-row challenge.
The Italian was taken to the circuit medical centre for assessment, with his participation in Saturday's sprint session and Sunday's race in doubt.
Fabio Quartararo, running Yamaha's latest front wing package, advanced from Qualifying One alongside Ducati's Francesco Bagnaia and took sixth on the grid, while Bagnaia could not build on his Q1 pace and qualified 11th.
(Reporting by Karan Prashant Saxena in Bengaluru; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
