Bleak and treacherous conditions ended the podium charge by Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS riders Franco Morbidelli and Álex Márquez in today's rain hit German Grand Prix.

It was cruel blow for both riders who showed superb skill and bravery in very difficult conditions on the rollercoaster Sachsenring layout.

After a spellbinding charge through the traffic in poor visibility Morbidelli was on target for a career first Moto2 victory.

He grabbed the lead with a bumping overtake on Álex Rins on lap 17 and took control of the race fox six laps with a 1.5s gap before crashing at turn 1 on lap 23, just six laps from the finish.

After remounting Morbidelli crashed a second time with three laps remaining.

Márquez also crashed twice after showing that he had the pace to join his teammate in a double challenge for the podium.

After settling in ninth on the opening lap Márquez had impressively pushed to fourth, right behind Morbidelli, on lap 14 before sliding off at turn 10 on lap 15.

Márquez rejoined but made his final exit from 8th place with another crash on lap 25.

Franco Morbidelli: DNF
“I didn't start so well but I was fast in the first half of the race and quickly caught the lead group. I felt comfortable and went to the front and opened a gap of more than one second to try and control the race and stay calm. But I made a small mistake and crashed and then after rejoining my mind was confused and I made another stupid mistake. This was not good for the championship but this was my first wet Moto2 race so I need to learn from this experience.”

Álex Márquez: DNF
“The race was going so well for the first half but in the end it was not a good result. If I am honest I enjoyed the race, I really enjoyed riding with very good feedback from the bike in the poor conditions. When I crashed the first time I said 'come on, you can do it again and catch the group in front' but then I crashed again. It was my mistake both times and it is a pity because today we had the chance to make the podium. But wet conditions are like this, you have either bad or good luck.”
 
Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal
“For sure this was a disappointing end to the race especially having Franco leading with six laps to go. And it was also a nice feeling for the team when Franco and Álex were third and fourth together earlier in the race, both with fast lap times. When you push for a good result these things can happen but two crashes from both riders and missing the chance of big points is a pity for the team.”