MotoGP: Martin masters Assen to head Ogura and Bezzecchi
MotoGP: A first ever top four lockout for Aprilia takes over Assen, with Bagnaia closest on the chase.
Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing) has taken pole position for the Tissot Grand Prix of the Netherlands, securing the spoils with a 1:30.812 to deny Ai Ogura (SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team) by just 0.011. It’s Martin’s first pole since 2024 and the first ever top four for Aprilia on the MotoGP grid, with Championship leader Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) completing the front row and Raul Fernandez (SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team) forced to settle for fourth after track limits scrubbed off his ‘best’ lap.
Q1
It was quite an open book as to who would go through in Q1, but by a few minutes to go it was Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) staking his claim on the top as he just edged out Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol).
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Diogo Moreira (Pro Honda LCR) hovered on the edges of moving through before a crash with a minute and a half to go, rider ok but yellow flags out for the rest and the Brazilian unable to move up from a best of P13 on the grid, ending his run of consecutive Q2 appearances.
As the clock ticked down Moreira only lost one position, however, with Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) looking like he could take over on top before slotting into third, leaving Quartararo and Mir as the riders heading through.
Q2
After his incredible form so far this weekend, Bezzecchi continued that at the start of Q2 as he sat top of the pile ahead of Raul Fernandez and Martin. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) then moved up to a provisional front row, taking over in third, before Martin hit back. The #89 was able to depose his teammate and take over on provisional pole by just 0.033.
Drama then hit for Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) as he suffered a technical issue – his second in the two sessions he took part in on Saturday morning – and he was out of the fight. Meanwhile, Aprilia’s march continued at the top.
Ogura was next to move up, just 0.011 off the top, before his teammate Raul Fernandez then put in what seemed like a stunner, taking over on provisional pole. But it wasn’t to be, as a track limits infraction saw that lap cancelled – dropping him down to fourth and leaving Martin with pole ahead of Ogura and Bezzecchi.
THE GRID
Behind the all-Aprilia top four, Bagnaia takes fifth at a track he’s won at multiple times, able to fend off the attacks from Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racig Team) and Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team). The #93 couldn’t move up from P7, starting just ahead of Acosta’s best before his issue, which put him P8. Quartararo completes the third row.
Mir is then tenth ahead of Red Bull KTM Tech3’s Enea Bastianini, with Alex Marquez to start P12. The BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP rider sat out the session to rest after his crash on Friday, but was passed fit to race.
After a dramatic Brno for Aprilia Racing team and a weekend of two halves for SuperFile Trackhouse – with Ogura taking double podiums and Fernandez suffering with illness – the RS-GP is back on top in force so far in Assen. Can they keep it rolling once the lights go out? We’ll find out at 15:00 CEST for the Tissot Sprint on Saturday before the GP gets rolling at 14:00 on Sunday.
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