Saturday MotoGP Bagnaia takes sublime Sprint win to close in on Martin

Taking back-to-back Sprint wins for the first time, the reigning Champion’s statement weekend continues as he denies Martin and Viñales

Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) had a standout weekend at the Motul TT Assen, continuing his impressive form on Saturday afternoon by winning the Tissot Sprint. This marks the first time in his career that the reigning Champion has secured back-to-back victories on a Saturday. Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) finished second, minimizing the damage in the standings, but the gap between them is now a mere 15 points. Adding to the pressure, Martin received a 3-place grid penalty for Sunday after being found slow on the line and disrupting Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse Racing) during qualifying.

Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) completed the Sprint podium, maintaining his strong performance at the Cathedral. In contrast, Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) faced early drama, sliding out and ending his race prematurely.

At the start, Bagnaia maintained his pole position, with Martin in second and Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) initially taking third. Viñales quickly reclaimed third place by the end of Lap 2 with a decisive move at the chicane. Meanwhile, Marc Marquez overcommitted and slid out, ending his participation in the Sprint.

Bagnaia kept pushing at the front, with Martin managing to stay close, though the gap fluctuated around seven-tenths of a second. By seven laps to go, Martin shifted his focus to holding off Viñales, who was closing in. Martin managed to widen the gap to a second, but Bagnaia remained out of reach, with the top three positions stabilizing.

Behind them, Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was closely following Alex Marquez until Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team), Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing), and Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) joined the fray. Bastianini quickly moved past Binder and targeted Alex Marquez, overtaking him at the chicane for fourth place. Alex Marquez then received a Long Lap penalty for exceeding track limits.

In a thrilling sequence, Di Giannantonio battled Binder at the chicane, both riders pushing hard despite running wide. On the final lap, Di Giannantonio led Espargaro and Binder, with Alex Marquez dropping back due to his penalty.

At the front, Bagnaia cruised to his second consecutive Sprint victory, with Martin securing a crucial second place, tightening the Championship race. Viñales’ third-place finish added another positive result for him as he aims to improve on Sunday.

Bastianini finished fourth after a strong comeback from outside the top ten on the grid. Di Giannantonio rounded out the top five, followed by Binder. Alex Marquez’s penalty dropped him to eighth, elevating Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) to seventh from 13th on the grid. Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing) secured the final Sprint points, with rookie Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) finishing tenth.

Aleix Espargaro’s late crash resulted in a check-up, with his status to be reviewed before Sunday’s Warm Up.

As we reset for Sunday’s Grand Prix race, Bagnaia looks unbeatable, but Martin and Viñales are determined to challenge him over the full distance. Martin will start from P5 due to his penalty. Tune in at 14:00 (UTC +2) to see if anyone can dethrone the #1!

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More from Saturday: Martin penalty, Marquez crash 

The biggest key story with a effect on the Grand Prix race broke late on Saturday: a three-place grid position penalty was confirmed for Jorge Martin.

The crash for Marc Marquez also made a few headlines, with the eight-time World Champion failing to score for the first time in a while.

Moto2 Aldeguer fronts Boscoscuro 1-2-3 in Assen qualifying

For the first time since the Spanish GP, Fermin Aldeguer (Folladore SpeedUp) will start from pole position, securing the top spot with a 0.230s lead over Ai Ogura (MT Helmets – MSI) at the Motul TT Assen. This marks Ogura’s first front-row start of the season. Joining them on the front row is Championship leader and Ogura’s teammate, Sergio Garcia, as Boscoscuro riders dominate the top three positions.

Manuel Gonzalez (QJMOTOR Gresini Moto2™) leads the Kalex contingent from P4 on the grid, while local favorite Zonta van den Goorbergh (RW-Idrofoglia Racing GP) made it through Q1 to secure P14.

Title contender Joe Roberts (OnlyFans American Racing) has been declared unfit for the Dutch TT after a crash on Friday afternoon resulted in a fractured right collarbone.

Tune into the Moto2™ race at 12:15 local time (UTC +2) on Sunday afternoon!

RESULTS

Moto3 Piqueras pockets maiden pole as Veijer crashes but secures P3

In a thrilling late charge during Q2, rookie Angel Piqueras (Leopard Racing) secured his first Moto3™ pole position with a lap time of 1:39.746. Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia) clinched P2, just 0.074s behind Piqueras. Home hero Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) will start from P3 on the front row, despite a crash at the final chicane that cost him a potential pole at the Motul TT Assen.

World Championship leader David Alonso (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) will start from P13, marking his worst Saturday result of the season as he aims to climb back through the pack. Title contender Daniel Holgado (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) also had a subdued Q2, qualifying in P15 and looking to regain points on Alonso.

Don’t miss the lightweight class race at 11:00 local time (UTC +2) on Sunday morning at the Cathedral of Speed. Catch every lap on motogp.com!

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Official MotoGP Press Release