- Marc Marquez claims his 68th MotoGP win, tying Giacomo Agostini’s record, after a gripping battle with Marco Bezzecchi
- Title rival Alex Marquez crashes out following contact with Pedro Acosta, fracturing his left hand
- Francesco Bagnaia completes the podium in third, finishing a couple of seconds behind the leading duo
In a dramatic Motul Grand Prix of the Netherlands that saw title-chasing Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) crash out, Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) held off a determined challenge from Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) to secure his 68th MotoGP victory by 0.6 seconds. The #93 and #72 treated fans to a captivating duel at the front, while Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) settled for third, a couple of seconds adrift of the win.
At the start, Bagnaia launched brilliantly from the middle of the front row to snatch the holeshot into Turn 1, as polesitter Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) dropped to fourth. Alex Marquez slotted into second, with Marc Marquez in third. However, the #93 wasted no time, carving past his chief title rival at Turn 1 on Lap 2 to sit behind teammate Bagnaia. Bezzecchi then demoted Alex Marquez to fourth at the end of Lap 2.
Quartararo’s early pace suffered, the Frenchman slipping to seventh behind Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team). Acosta became the latest rider to overtake Alex Marquez, meaning that by Lap 5, Bagnaia led from Marc Marquez and Bezzecchi, with Acosta, Alex Marquez, and Morbidelli in close pursuit.
The order shuffled again at the end of Lap 5 as Marc Marquez lunged up the inside of Bagnaia to take the lead. Drama struck on Lap 6 when Alex Marquez and Acosta made contact exiting Turn 5. Heading up the back straight, Marquez suddenly crashed, a puff of smoke from his front tyre suggesting an issue with the front brake lever. The Gresini star’s Grand Prix was over, and it was later confirmed he had fractured his left hand.
Further back, Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) highsided out of contention at Turn 11, leaving Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol) and Quartararo with nowhere to go. Mir unfortunately crashed, while Quartararo ran wide, dropping to 13th.
At the front, Marquez maintained his lead, but on Lap 8, Bezzecchi overtook Bagnaia for second. Acosta then piled pressure on Bagnaia, moving into third. Maverick Viñales (Red Bull KTM Tech3) and Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) also closed in on the podium battle.
On Lap 13, Marc Marquez set a blistering pace, but Bezzecchi responded with the fastest lap of the Grand Prix. Bagnaia regained third from Acosta and began to close the gap to the leaders with a series of quick laps.
With three laps remaining, Bezzecchi remained just 0.2 seconds behind Marquez, unable to quite get close enough to attempt a pass. The penultimate lap saw the gap stretch to 0.7 seconds, seemingly sealing the outcome.
Marquez powered his Ducati through the final chicane to clinch victory at Assen, drawing level with MotoGP Legend Giacomo Agostini on 68 premier class wins. Bezzecchi handed Aprilia a double podium weekend, pushing Marquez all the way, while Bagnaia returned to the podium in third after a disappointing home race a week earlier.
Reflecting on his performance, Marc Márquez said, “I was expecting the win, even though – like yesterday – I wasn’t the fastest rider on track. I managed the gap in the early stages, then controlled the race, and I’m very happy because we scored another 37 points. Obviously, I’m not fully satisfied, as my main rival – my brother – crashed and got injured. But that’s racing. I want to thank Ducati and the team, who worked until late on Friday after I destroyed the bike twice.”
Acosta finished fourth, leading home a strong showing for KTM, with teammate Viñales rounding out the top five. Di Giannantonio, Morbidelli, Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse MotoGP Team), Enea Bastianini (Red Bull KTM Tech3), and Quartararo completed the top ten.
As the MotoGP paddock bids farewell to Assen after a memorable weekend celebrating 100 years of racing at the iconic circuit, attention now turns to Round 11 at the Sachsenring, where Marc Marquez will look to extend his incredible run of form.
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