MotoGP German GP: Live commentary and updates from Sachsenring

As the grid clears, a reminder that Marc Marquez won yesterday's rather processional sprint.

Just a couple of minutes to go now before the engines roar around the poky little Sachsenring. It's a short lap here - things will be frantic!

There's polite applause after a strange rendition of the German national anthem.

It's 27 degrees and dry, which makes the tyre choice uncomplicated on a track that punishes both front and rear. Early indications are that everyone will run the medium rear and the hard front. Other combinations are probably too risky in terms of wear over 30 laps.

The grid layout will also have an unfamiliar look about it, as this is the first grand prix featuring more space between the slots and the rows - an adjustment to improve safety.

Speaking of the grid, two riders start three spots further back than they qualified, thanks to penalties. Both Franco Morbidelli and Diogo Moreira were punished for dithering on the racing line during timed sessions.

Di Giannantonio endured a violent tumble at the end of this morning's warm-up session, but no injuries have been reported for the man starting on the front row alongside the Marquez brothers. 

In other news, Raul Fernandez is fighting the after-effects of having tweaked something on board his Trackhouse Aprilia earlier in the weekend. Toprak Razgatlioglu is feeling unwell but will also compete. 

Bezzecchi is currently second in the world championship, 11 points behind his factory Aprilia team-mate Jorge Martin. But by the end of today's race, he could mathematically be as low as fifth. Fabio Di Giannantonio, Ai Ogura and German GP favourite are all lining up to overhaul him.

If you're a Sunday-only kind of MotoGP fan, you've missed quite a lot of news over the weekend! Most significantly, Marco Bezzecchi's nightmare run continued with a big crash in qualifying. He's already back in Italy and has just undergone successful surgery. 

It's time to go racing one last time before the summer break - welcome to our live text coverage of the MotoGP German Grand Prix! Richard Asher on duty.