Honda HRC Castrol
Race day in the Netherlands saw all four Honda HRC riders opt for the soft rear tyres as ambient conditions eased after a brutal start to the weekend. Management of the rear would be key across the 26 laps of the TT Circuit Assen, but both Luca Marini and Joan Mir were willing to take up that challenge to try and end their respective weekends on a high.
Able to make up a handful of places in the opening corners as the usual hustle and bustle of the mid-pack went on, Luca Marini kept himself out of any serious trouble and quickly arrived into the point scoring positions. By lap three, the Honda HRC Castrol rider was looking for a way to get past a trio of Yamaha riders, passing Miller on lap seven and Razgatlioglu by the middle of the race. Pushing until the very end to close the final few tenths to Rins and a top ten finish, Marini was able to take 11th place at the chequered flag and maintain his 11th place in the MotoGP World Championship standings.
Eight points behind Alex Marquez in ninth and one point ahead of the chasing Bastianini, the battle for the World Championship rankings looks set to rage until the very end of the season. Consistency will be key in this contest and Marini is up for the challenge.
Meanwhile it was another Sunday to forget for Joan Mir who fell at Turn 10 on the first lap. He avoided any serious injury.
Now a single round, the German GP, awaits before a small summer break in the MotoGP World Championship. The entire Honda HRC Castrol team will be looking to find their groove in a historically happy hunting ground of Sachsenring after the tough Dutch GP weekend.
Luca Marini 10
Honda HRC Castrol
“A tough one today, I felt like I had a little bit more pace than the guys ahead of me, but I was stuck there behind them. In Turn 5 on the first lap there were four or five of us who all touched and maybe I lost a little piece of something. Once I got past Miller, I was confident in my pace, but when I arrived with Rins at the end I had to manage the rear so couldn’t really attack. We got some more info on what we need to keep improving which is always a positive. I think the result we achieved was the best possible.”
Joan Mir 36
Honda HRC Castrol
“Yesterday I knew why I crashed, today I don’t really understand it. This happens quite a lot in reality. It’s hard when you don’t know why you crashed but we will do as we have done in the past and move on. We will try again in Germany because the reality is that we are fast and we can be there if these things don’t happen. Not the weekend we wanted but I want to thank the team for always pushing for me at 100%.”
Ducati Lenovo
The Ducati Lenovo Team completed the tenth Grand Prix of the season at the TT Circuit Assen. Marc Márquez scored a seventh-place finish, while Francesco Bagnaia’s race came to an early end due to a technical problem while running in fourth position.
Márquez got a good launch from the third row and ran as high as third in the early stages. Marc battled for fourth place first with Bagnaia and Acosta, and later with Di Giannantonio and Alex Márquez. After crossing the line in sixth place, he was handed a one-position penalty for cutting turn 13. Bagnaia stayed close to his teammate in the opening part of the race before overtaking him for fourth place on lap ten. Pecco then suffered a technical problem on lap 15 that forced him to retire.
As the tenth Grand Prix of the season draws to a close, Marc Márquez is fifth in the championship standings with 153 points. Francesco Bagnaia is eighth, 23 points behind his teammate. The Ducati Lenovo Team is third in the teams’ standings (283 points), while Ducati sits second in the constructors’ championship (282 points).
The Ducati Lenovo Team will be back in action on Friday, July 10th, for the opening day of the Grand Prix of Germany at the Sachsenring.
Marc Márquez (#93 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 7th
“I feel quite good. Today, the best result would have been fifth place, but we still finished the weekend on a positive note with seventh in the race. The goal was to wait until the final ten laps before trying to push a bit more, and I managed to do so while riding in a precise and smooth manner. Unfortunately, here at Assen, a coming together at the final chicane is never to be ruled out. Now the goal is to continue resting and recovering, as this weekend was quite demanding. The aim is to arrive at the Sachsenring in better physical condition in order to do our best and head into the summer break in the best possible situation.”
Francesco Bagnaia (#63 Ducati Lenovo Team) – DNF
“Surely I wasn’t expecting to finish the weekend with a retirement. After the Sprint, I had a very positive feeling ahead of the full-distance race as I knew we could be competitive. My start wasn’t too bad; I tried to stay in touch with the leaders from the get-go and recover some positions while battling within the group. But I wasn’t riding the way I wanted: I was struggling to slow the bike down and get it stopped. Just after the halfway point, the situation became really difficult to manage — too difficult to think about continuing the race. I’m sorry to have finished the weekend this way, especially here at Assen.”
KTM Factory Racing
The TT Circuit Assen, the historic home of MotoGP (the only venue on the current calendar to have hosted a round of the inaugural FIM motorcycle racing world championship in 1949) provided a humid and sweaty tenth Grand Prix of 2026. The flat and fast 16 kinks and curves of the 4.5km layout were the usual demanding and technical test and were attacked by Pedro Acosta, Enea Bastianini, Brad Binder and Maverick Viñales from P8, P11, P14 and P19 on the start grid. The grip level had altered slightly after overnight storms on Saturday but the races were held in the dry.
The 26-lap Grand Prix distance got underway with Acosta sliding into the battle for the top five. Bastianini also made progress and all four KTM RC16 runners were vying for GP points. Pedro had to pull out of the running before mid-distance with a right arm issue. Bastianini glided into contention with three other riders in the pursuit of P4. The interchanges between the quartet were fast, close and intense and Bestia took 7th at the finale; later upgraded to 6th with Marc Marquez’s track limits penalization.
In the group behind, Brad stayed the course for only his third top ten ranking of the season (later adjusted to 11th) while Maverick persisted from the rear of the pack with his weak left shoulder and took 12th, finalized after an investigation to 13th.
After back-to-back events in Czechia and The Netherlands, MotoGP breaks for one week before heading to the swirling Sachsenring for the German Grand Prix from July 10-12.
Enea Bastianini, 6th and 12 in the championship: “Best result of the year and I am happy because we fought for something good today and were closer to the podium than we have been. My feeling with the medium tire was not the best and I was losing a bit out of the fast corners, maybe with my style the soft would have been the better option but we’ll never know!”
Brad Binder, 11th and 13th in the championship: “Quite positive after a super-hard weekend. We made steps forward because we were going up the order each session but we started too far away though. The guys made the bike better today. So, hats-off to them. I felt more comfortable and I could push harder. I just need more speed and we’ll see how we manage Sachsenring.”
Maverick Viñales, 13th and 22nd in the championship: “Not so bad. Very tough because I felt some pain from the shoulder from yesterday but I’ve improved my riding condition and the arm felt good all race. I was losing some time in certain sections but in others I was the same as the best KTM. It’s a matter of working hard.”
Pedro Acosta, DNF and 7th in the championship: “I lost feeling in three fingers on the right hand. In some tracks it is worse than others but I was suffering from the morning. I knew my level today but wanted to see. Today was not a disaster but I think the top six was possible today. I had some locking and it was better to stop. On Tuesday we’ll have surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome.”
Aki Ajo, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: “A shame that Pedro could not finish the race today with his hand problem but the positive thing was that we were improving here day by day. Pedro’s performance was really good and he was fighting near the front with the guys. What was important as well today was the great fightback by Enea. Positive for Brad as well and the top ten is always a good result. I think we turned the page and ended the weekend in a good way.”
Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing
It was a challenging Sunday but with plenty of positives for the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team at the TT Circuit Assen. Fabio Di Giannantonio crossed the finish line in fourth place after an impressive comeback despite a Long Lap Penalty. Now he is even closer to the top of the MotoGP World Standing. It was an unfortunate Dutch GP for Franco Morbidelli, who crashed out on lap nine.
Di Giannantonio had a difficult opening lap, since he had to recover due to a complicated start from the second row that costed him several positions. Fabio played a key role in the Dutch GP, recovering places and showing a great race pace lap by lap. A Long Lap Penaly interrupted his comeback, but the rider of Rome showed great determination and consistency, recovering positions after serving the penalty and finishing in fourth place and best Ducati rider. With today’s result, Di Giannantonio strengthens his third place in the World Standings with 177 points. He also further reduces the gap to the championship leader, now just 16 points – the smallest one of this season.
It was an unlucky Sunday for Morbidelli, who started from the sixteenth place on the grid after receiving a penalty. He lost some ground at Turn 1 due to a difficult start from the sixth row, and he was forced to recovery right from the opening lap. Franco’s Dutch GP ended at lap nine, where he crashed out – with any physical consecuences – when he was sixteenth. For the first time this season, Morbidelli didn’t score points in Sunday’s race and he now sits sixteenth in the World Standing with 43 points.
MotoGP now heads into a one-week break before returning to action at the Sachsenring for the German GP, scheduled from 10th to 12th July. Before then, the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team will take part in World Ducati Week at the Misano World Circuit – Marco Simoncelli, taking place from 3rd to 5th July.
Fabio Di Giannantonio – 49
“It was a tough race! As always, Assen proved to be one of the most demanding tracks on the calendar. I made a mistake at the start by braking too early and lost several positions. But I stayed calm and focused, managed the tyres well, and in the final laps I was able to push. We’ve had quite a few fourth-place finishes this season, but it’s a very positive result looking at the championship. I had to serve a Long Lap Penalty during the race, but once I’d completed it, I immediately tried to recover the fourth place because I knew I had the pace to do it. At the moment, our rivals still have a little bit more, but together with the Team and Ducati, we’re working incredibly hard to further improve our bike.”
Franco Morbidelli – 21
“The race didn’t go well: at the start, I was lucky to stay on the bike after another rider pushed me wide. That dropped me back, and I had to recover. But I lost a lot of time because of other similar incidents. Unfortunately, while trying to recover positions, I pushed too hard and I crashed. It’s a pity because we had good pace throughout the weekend. Still, we want to take the positives from this weekend: we’ve improved our speed. We’re not yet where we want to be, but we’ll carry these improvements with us and aim to build on them at the next race in Germany.”
Aprilia Racing
Aprilia Racing closed out the weekend on the Assen TT Circuit with another historic result.
After starting from pole position, Jorge Martín rode a solid race to take third, finishing up a positive weekend, enhanced by his first pole position with Aprilia Racing. This is the Spanish rider’s 2nd top-class podium in Assen, his 37th MotoGP podium, and his 5th of the season. Thanks to today’s result, Martín is the new leader in the overall MotoGP standings with 193 points – a milestone he had not achieved since the 2024 Solidarity GP, 588 days ago.
Marco Bezzecchi, on the other hand, crashed out on turn 15 during the second lap. The Italian rider was immediately taken to the circuit’s Medical Centre, where he underwent a thorough evaluation by the medical staff, including the MotoGP Medical Director, Dr. Ángel Charte. Initial clinical examinations confirmed that the rider was fully conscious and displayed normal mobility in all four limbs, with no immediate signs of major neurological or systemic complications. However, due to severe pain resulting from the high-energy impact, the medical team has elected to transfer Bezzecchi to Groningen Hospital. The Italian rider underwent CT scans and radiological examinations with no injuries found, so he is fit to be discharged and will return to Italy this evening.
Honourable mention goes to the SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team riders who, after the sprint race one-two, repeated the result in the long race, with Ai Ogura winning his first MotoGP race ahead of Raúl Fernández. This is a one-two which, along with Martín’s third place, gives Aprilia the second podium lockout in their MotoGP history after the 2026 Le Mans race.
With Ogura’s win, Aprilia also takes their first MotoGP win in Assen (their best result previously on this track was Marco Bezzecchi’s second-place finish in 2025) and gives them a total of 308 FIM Motorcycle World Championship victories.
JORGE MARTÍN
“First of all, I’d like to send my wishes to Marco for a lot of strength. I saw the crash and it is never nice to see a rider go down that way, especially when it’s your teammate. In any case, it was a good weekend, and we earned some important points. I’m particularly happy with the step forward we have taken in terms of speed and feeling. I stayed in the lead for 16 laps of the race and that is an important sign. I gave one hundred percent from the start, and I tried to manage the tyres for the finale. Then, I tried to battle with Ai and Raúl, but I had nothing left, so I tried to take home as many points as possible.”
MASSIMO RIVOLA
“Aprilia was back to shining this weekend, confirming all our competitiveness, especially on fast tracks. I’m extremely pleased for Justin Marks and SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team, who believed in our project from the very beginning. Having four Aprilias at the front of the starting grid and three on the podium is an important sign and wonderful acknowledgement of the work that everyone in Noale has done. Congratulations to Jorge for his first pole position with us and for the podium he earned despite still being at less than optimum fitness. It’s a shame about Marco’s mistake. On a weekend where he had shown such great speed, he should have achieved much more. However, the priority now is to recover as best he can after the bad crash. There is a clear dominator for next race at Sachsenring and we need to arrive as ready as we possibly can.”
Monster Energy Yamaha
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Fabio Quartararo and Álex Rins delivered determined performances in the sun-soaked Grand Prix of the Netherlands MotoGP Race, pushing throughout the 26-lap contest to secure eighth and tenth place respectively.
Quartararo had a lightning start from P9, overtaking two riders before the first corner to slot into P7. He held the position until lap 3 when gradually three rivals found a way through. For seven laps he held steady in P10 before two competitors ahead of him retired from the race. It moved him up to eighth place on lap 15, which he held until crossing the finish line 19.039s from first.
Rins started from P15 and made inroads on the opening lap, closing it in P13. Marco Bezzecchi’s crash on lap 2 moved the Spaniard briefly up to P12, but he was subsequently overtaken by Toprak Razgatlıoğlu. However, with three riders ahead of him retiring from the race, he moved up to P10. Keeping a charging Luca Marini at bay, he held the position to the chequered flag, 20.302s from the winner.
After today’s Race, Quartararo moves up to 14th place in the championship standings with 45 points and Rins stays in 19th with now 18 points. Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP are in 10th position in the team classification with 63 points, and Yamaha is 5th in the constructor rankings with 59 points.
The team will enjoy a one-week break before returning to action at the Sachsenring for the Grand Prix of Germany, held from 10-12 July.
MASSIMO MEREGALLI
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team Director
“It’s been a tricky weekend overall, but we were able to make progress from Friday’s FP1 throughout the weekend and to have two riders inside the top 10 at this moment is a good result. Our riders made excellent starts again, withstood pressure from rivals, and made sure they were in the right position to benefit and end the Dutch GP with a double top 10 after facing demanding conditions all weekend. Of course, our goal remains to close the gap to the front. We’ll continue working hard with the data we gathered here, in hotter than usual conditions, to improve further in the next GP in Germany in two weeks’ time.”
FABIO QUARTARARO
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Rider
“It was a long and physically demanding race. It was not really enjoyable, but I think we maximised our performance with the result we did today, and I think we can be happy with what we achieved. On the last ten laps, I suffered from arm pump on the right side, because this track is very physical, but I could still keep the best position we could.”
ÁLEX RINS
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Rider
“The conditions were super tough, very hot for Assen. At the beginning of the Race, I was quite happy. I gave my maximum to keep my position. I had something more than Binder, but I couldn’t overtake him. One more GP after this, and then we will have the summer break. For sure, we will keep working at our maximum.”
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