Race summary: Early lead changes and crashes characterize the race
The MotoGP weekend in Assen was marked by special circumstances: Over 200,000 fans watched the spectacle on site – a new attendance record for the traditional Dutch TT, which will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2025.
At the start on Sunday, Francesco Bagnaia maintained his pole position and led the field ahead of Alex Marquez and Marc Marquez. Fabio Quartararo, on the other hand, fell back a few places right away. The first incident occurred in the very first corner: Somkiat Chantra and Ai Ogura slid into the gravel, while Miguel Oliveira also crashed shortly afterwards but was able to continue the race.
As the race progressed, Marco Bezzecchi and Pedro Acosta showed themselves to be in strong form. Bezzecchi overtook Alex Marquez and initially took third place. Shortly before that, Marc Marquez passed his brother and set off in pursuit of Bagnaia. After seven laps, Marc Marquez finally took the lead – the starting signal for an exciting battle with Bezzecchi, who was faster in several sections of the track with his Aprilia but couldn’t find a decisive opportunity to overtake.
Drama for Alex Marquez: Broken hand after collision with Acosta
The key scene of the race took place on lap six: Alex Marquez was involved in a close duel with Pedro Acosta, which resulted in contact. The Spaniard crashed and later had to be taken to the medical center with a broken second metacarpal bone in his left hand. This means that his participation in the next race at the Sachsenring is questionable. With his brother out of the race, Marc Marquez further extended his lead in the world championship.
Bezzecchi and Acosta challenge Marquez – Bagnaia completes the podium
As the race progressed, Bezzecchi remained the most persistent pursuer of the leader. He set the fastest lap several times, but Marc Marquez countered again and again and kept the competition at bay. Pedro Acosta also put in a strong performance, overtaking Bagnaia and temporarily moving into podium position. It was only in the final third of the race that the KTM rider had to drop back from the pace of the leaders, while Bagnaia moved back up to third place.
Bezzecchi fought until the end, but had to drop back in the final laps. Marquez used the final phase of the race to pull away decisively and cross the finish line as the winner with a 0.635-second lead over Bezzecchi. Bagnaia followed in third place, 2.666 seconds behind. Pedro Acosta finished fourth, followed by Maverick Vinales, Fabio Di Giannantonio, and Franco Morbidelli.
A weekend full of records and milestones
It was a historic weekend for Marc Marquez: for the first time since 2019, he won three Grand Prix races in a row. In addition, he achieved his sixth double victory of the season in Assen, winning both the sprint and the main race – and that after two heavy crashes on Friday. With a total of 68 victories in the premier class, he is now tied with Giacomo Agostini. Only Valentino Rossi is ahead of him in the all-time rankings with 89 wins.
The current World Championship standings after Assen:
- Marc Marquez: 307 points
- Alex Marquez: 239 points
- Francesco Bagnaia: 181 points
- Franco Morbidelli: 139 points
- Fabio Di Giannantonio: 136 points
The manufacturer Ducati continues to extend its lead in the constructors’ standings, as does the Ducati Lenovo Team in the team standings.
Injury misfortune and other incidents
In addition to Alex Marquez’s retirement, there were also other crashes and incidents. Luca Lunetta suffered a broken right foot in a collision in Moto3. Fermin Aldeguer, Joan Mir, and Miguel Oliveira also crashed. For some riders, such as Chantra and Ogura, the race was over early, while others were able to continue after running off into the gravel.
Comments on the race: Respect and support in the paddock
After his triumph, Marc Marquez was particularly grateful to his team and expressed sympathy for his injured brother:
“I’m very happy, but I feel sorry for Alex. I want all riders, especially my brother, to be able to race.”
Marco Bezzecchi praised the work of Aprilia and was delighted with the strong performance:
“I’m very satisfied. It was a fantastic race.”
