Francesco Bagnaia, the reigning double world champion, made a strong statement at the start of the Dutch MotoGP weekend by setting a new lap record during Friday’s qualifying session. Bagnaia, who is aiming for a hat-trick of wins after his triumphs at Catalunya and Mugello, shattered the previous lap record set by Marco Bezzecchi in Assen last year. With a blistering time of 1min 31.340sec, Bagnaia, riding a factory Ducati, secured the top spot ahead of veteran riders Maverick Vinales (Aprilia) and Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing Ducati). The windy conditions on the legendary Dutch track posed a challenge for the riders, but Bagnaia was able to overcome them with his impressive performance.
“All the work done from the start of the season is starting to give us more feeling. I am very happy about it,” Bagnaia expressed his satisfaction after the qualifying session. He admitted feeling confident and in control of his factory Ducati during the session, despite the challenging wind conditions.
Aleix Espargaro, riding for Aprilia, experienced a heavy crash during the latter stages of Friday’s qualifying session, but still managed to secure the fourth-fastest time. This marked Espargaro’s final outing at Assen before his retirement at the end of this season.
Jorge Martin, the current championship leader, finished fifth fastest, two positions behind his fellow Spanish rider Marquez. The top 10 riders automatically qualified for Saturday’s second qualifying session, determining the first four rows of the grid. The two fastest riders from Q1 will join them in the second session.
Heading into Saturday’s sprint and Sunday’s main event, Bagnaia, currently second in the standings, is closing the gap on Martin, who holds a slim 18-point lead. Marquez sits in third place, 17 points behind Bagnaia.
Bagnaia, victorious at Mugello last weekend, is seeking a third consecutive win at the “Cathedral”, aiming to emulate the back-to-back victories achieved by his Italian mentor Valentino Rossi in 2004-2005. He has already won at Assen in 2022 and 2023.
In a year marked by significant team changes, Prima Pramac Racing Team announced a multi-year partnership with Yamaha, signaling their departure from the Ducati stable. This decision comes after the team’s announcement of losing Martin, who will be joining Aprilia next year. Prima Pramac Racing is yet to announce their new riders for next season.
