Pecco Bagnaia has secured his fourth 2023 MotoGP World Championship pole position of the season after surviving a crash-strewn qualifying German MotoGP session that would see Marc Marquez come down three times.

Though earlier rain had stopped by the time the MotoGP riders ventured out on track for Q1 and Q2, the Sachsenring - already tricky in the dry - remained damp off line, making any mistake potentially punishable.

Nevertheless, Bagnaia showed steely focus to hit his peak when it mattered in the ever-improving conditions, turning in a 1m 21.409secs lap.

That said, he was dealt a healthy dose of fortune after a late fall for Johann Zarco served to scupper several fast laps, with both Jorge Martin and Marco Bezzecchi posting times good enough for pole, only to be cancelled due to the yellow flags being deployed. 

That spelled good news for Luca Marini, who was able to hold onto his front row spot in second, with Jack Miller demonstrating his prowess for dicey conditions by securing third on the best of the KTMs.

Despite his fall, Zarco kept hold of fourth on the grid, ahead of a frustrated Bezzecchi, the Italian having also suffered an off at the particularly treacherous uphill left-hand final corner. A similarly disappointed Martin made it an all-Ducati second row.

Heading up row three meanwhile was Marquez, who endured an eventful session with three sizeable crashes that quelled his evident pace. Despite the falls - one of which saw him flicked into a high-side and over the handlebars - he was able to recover to seventh, where he will get underway next to his brother Alex Marquez, the Spaniard landing in eighth.

With Marquez coming through a particularly difficult Q1 session - which began with wet tyres but saw the ten riders on slicks by the conclusion - he was joined through to Q2 by Binder, the South African going on to qualify in ninth place.

Behind them, Aleix Espargaro, Enea Bastianini and Fabio Quartararo brought up the rear among the Q2 contenders, filling row four in 10th, 11th and 12th respectively.

German MotoGP, Sachsenring | Qualifying Results