Marquez Continues Unprecedented Sprint Domination

Quartararo crashes and Bagnaia buckles as Bezzecchi nabs Dutch podium

Marc Marquez claimed his ninth MotoGP sprint win of the season with a clinical performance at Assen, extending his remarkable run and championship lead after a tense duel on Dutch soil.

Fabio Quartararo launched off the line for the holeshot, but Marc Marquez immediately challenged around the outside into Turn 1. Quartararo responded firmly, pushing the Ducati rider to the edge of the curb. Raúl Fernández lost control and went off track in the mayhem, while Alex Marquez quickly made ground, slipping past Francesco Bagnaia within the opening corners.

The elder Marquez struck back into the Geert Timmer Chicane on Lap 2 to temporarily snatch the lead, only for Alex to retaliate into Turn 1. Just behind, Marco Bezzecchi was on the move, picking off Bagnaia for fourth to insert himself into the lead battle. As so often this season, it became a familiar sight at the front: Marquez vs Marquez, with the brothers trading tenths and lines around the iconic Assen layout.

Bagnaia, meanwhile, struggled to settle into a rhythm—a recurring issue for the reigning champion in the sprint format since its introduction. On Lap 3, Bezzecchi dived underneath Quartararo at the final chicane, taking third with the fastest lap as he began to reel in the Marquez duo.

Alex looked the more agile through the rapid right-handers of Turns 10 and 11 on Lap 4, but Marc responded with trademark tenacity, laying down the fastest lap of the race as he extended the gap again through Ramshoek. Fabio Di Giannantonio was coming into contention, stringing together best sectors in his chase of the factory Ducatis. He and Bagnaia swapped positions repeatedly as Diggia edged ahead at the Geert Timmer Chicane, further frustrating the factory rider’s afternoon.

While Bagnaia continued to drift backward, Quartararo emerged briefly as the fastest rider on track, chasing down Bezzecchi for third—only to crash out at Mandeven on Lap 9, pushing too hard in a desperate attempt to stay with the Aprilia rider. The Yamaha rider’s rhythm had looked strong before he overstepped the mark.

With three laps to go, Bezzecchi remained relentless, whittling Marc’s lead down to just half a second. As Alex Marquez pushed to close the gap in the final laps, he could never quite get close enough to attempt a pass—despite committing everything through the fast right-hand sweepers. On the final tour, Bezzecchi dropped slightly adrift, admitting defeat as the elder Marquez crossed the line for yet another sprint victory, silencing any questions of his fitness following a brutal practice crash on Friday.

Bezzecchi brought it home with a standout ride for third, ahead of the two factory Ducatis of Di Giannantonio in fourth and Bagnaia in fifth. Maverick Viñales led KTM’s charge in sixth, ahead of Pedro Acosta. Fermín Aldeguer claimed eighth, while Franco Morbidelli and Brad Binder rounded out the top ten.

Johann Zarco flew the Honda flag in 11th, while Miguel Oliveira was the leading Yamaha in 12th following Quartararo’s crash.

Marc’s incredible run of Sprint wins extends his championship lead to 43 points, and delivers a reality check for anyone who thought that his 2nd row qualifying and friday drama might slow him down at all. If the Sprint is any guide though, Bezzecchi could be a man to watch for the main race, as he had pace to match the leaders. Despite his woeful Sprint performance, Bagnaia can’t be counted out yet either, as he’s shown on many occasions that he’s a Sunday man when it comes to challenging for wins.

Netherlands MotoGP Sprint