Marc Marquez Sets Record with 7th Straight MotoGP Grand Prix of Germany Win

Marc Marquez broke the record for successive German Grand Prix victories on Sunday after winning the event for the seventh year in succession and increasing his lead at the top of the MotoGP riders' standings. 

The five-time world champion—chasing his fourth successive MotoGP crown—beat Maverick Vinales and Cal Crutchlow, who finished second and third, respectively, per the official MotoGP Twitter account:

Ducati rider Andrea Dovizioso entered this weekend second in the standings and 44 points off Marquez's pace, but he could only finish fifth and lost slightly more pace in the title pursuit:

Marquez now boasts a 58-point cushion at the top of the MotoGP leaderboard, and it's difficult to envision the rest of the pack preventing him from defending his title again in 2019.

Giacomo Agostini won six successive top-tier German Grand Prix races when the competition was still classified as 500cc (1967-72), but Marquez has established an even more dominant streak.

Marquez started on pole at the Sachsenring in Saxony—his fifth No. 1 start of the year—and it quickly became clear the champion didn't intend on budging.

As well as this being Marquez's seventh MotoGP victory in Germany, it was also his 10th overall win at this venue, as he won two Moto2 titles (2011-12) and a 125cc-class crown (2010):

The Grand Prix of the Americas has also been a hospitable race for Marquez in recent years (six MotoGP victories), but he hasn't enjoyed quite the same form anywhere else.

Suzuki star Alex Rins had a disaster on Turn 11 and took a sharp bend too early with 11 laps to go, spinning onto the gravel not long after he was tight on Marquez's tail in second place.

One could argue the Spaniard should have won the Dutch Grand Prix last Sunday, and his frustrations were obvious as he departed the track early for a second race in a row:

Vinales and Crutchlow were more than happy to take his place battling for the runner-up spot, having travelled to Germany seventh and 10th in the standings, respectively.

Yamaha rider Vinales won the Dutch Grand Prix last Sunday to deny Marquez the No. 1 spot, but this time it was the latter's turn to shut the door on his countryman.

Nevertheless, he'll have been pleased with just his third podium finish of the season:

And Crutchlow will have been even more pleased with his run to third considering the Briton broke his tibia earlier this week, per BBC Sport's Tom Rostance:

Dovizioso, Danilo Petrucci and Jack Miller were bundled into a tense showdown for places four through six, frequently swapping places in what became an intriguing mini-race further down the field.

Marquez celebrated his latest win with some of the fans attending the Sachsenring and jumped the barrier to revel in his success:

The midseason respite will be a welcome pause for Marquez, who has won the Czech Grand Prix only once in the past five years.

What's Next?

The MotoGP stars now have a month's break at the midway point this season before the campaign picks back up with the Czech Grand Prix on August 4.