Marco Bezzecchi (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) is back on top! The Italian took the Tissot Sprint win at the Motul TT Assen in some style, outpacing title rival and reigning Champion Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) to gain some precious points back on his compatriot. Third place saw Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) come home for his first Sprint rostrum, but after a slightly controversial penalty for Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing)…
It was a manic start and none more so than Binder as the South African shot to the inside line and was immediately up into third behind Bagnaia and Bezzecchi. The number 33 didn’t wait long to attack either, slicing through into second and left with a small gap to Pecco in the lead ahead of him. But neither did Bezzecchi waste any time, pouncing immediately once he was back on the back of the 33 and then setting off in pursuit of Bagnaia. That mission didn’t take long either. By 10 to go, he was through and putting the hammer down.
As Bezzecchi eked out a tenth here and a hundredth there, the first key move was Aleix Espargaro getting past a slightly scrappy Martin, and as the laps ticked down Quartararo started to home in on Binder. The gap from Binder to Bagnaia ahead was around a second, but from Bagnaia to Bezzecchi? Now, it was coming down. With three to go, the reigning Champion took nearly four tenths out of the lead, just as Aleix Espargaro joined the party in the fight for third.
Bezzecchi, however, wasn’t going to let that happen. The hammer went down again and he was able to hold onto an impressive and convincing win, setting himself up for an assault on the top on Sunday.
Just behind him, onto the last lap it first looked as though Quartararo was going to make a move on Binder, but then the South African was the rider on the move. Homing in on Bagnaia in the fight for second, he was close but not quite close enough to make a final chicane dive… but the drama wasn’t over. After a track limits warning earlier in the Sprint, the number 33 was given a Long Lap just at the flag after heading onto the green one too many times, which becomes a three-second penalty. And that, therefore, makes it a pitch perfect Sprint for Bezzecchi, a solid second for Bagnaia, and the first podium on Saturday for Quartararo after the Frenchman only previously scored a single point over the first seven Sprints.
Aleix Espargaro is therefore fourth, ahead of Binder demoted to fifth by that penalty. Martin takes sixth for some damage limitation after his P10 in qualifying, but he’ll want a lot more on Sunday. Likewise Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing), who took seventh from seventh on the grid.
Enea Bastianini (Ducato Lenovo Team) was next up as he made some serious progress when the lights went out despite a tough qualifying, and he was the protagonist of a moment at the final chicane with Marini as he attacked and the Mooney VR46 rider straight-lined the chicane. It wasn’t quite the gravel trip of 2015, but in 2023 it saw the number 10 get a time penalty that drops him to tenth behind Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™).
Next: Grand Prix Sunday!
Bezzecchi looks supreme, Quartararo has form, Bagnaia remains a threat as ever… and Binder wants revenge. That’s not even half the storylines we’ve got to look forward to on Sunday, so make sure to tune into the MotoGP™ race at 14:00 local time (GMT+2) for another stunning showdown!
MotoGP Top 4 – Sprint Result – Dutch GP
1. Marco BEZZECCHI – ITA – Mooney VR46 Team – 20’09.174
2. Francesco BAGNAIA – ITA – Ducati Lenovo – +1.294
3. Fabio QUARTARARO – FRA – Monster Energy Yamaha – +1.872
4. Aleix ESPARGARO – SPA – Aprilia Racing – +2.245
MotoGP Top 4 Championship Points after Sprint – Dutch GP
1. Francesco BAGNAIA – ITA – Ducati Lenovo Team – 169pts
2. Jorge MARTIN – SPA – Prima Pramac Racing – 148pts
3. Marco BEZZECCHI – ITA – Mooney VR46 Team – 138pts
4. Johann ZARCO – FRA – Prima Pramac Racing – 109pts
For more MotoGP info checkout our dedicated MotoGP News page
Or visit the official MotoGP website www.motogp.com
