‘El Diablo’ storms to the front of the Assen grid, Bagnaia qualifies in front of both Marquez brothers for the first time in 2025
In cool, windy conditions, Assen produced another thrilling qualifying session with Fabio Quartararo once again dragging Yamaha into positions they have no business occupying. The Frenchman unleashed a stunning lap of 1’30.651—his fourth pole of the season—to lead a tight field at the famed Dutch circuit.
Quartararo set the early benchmark with a mid 1’31 lap, but it was quickly surpassed by Alex Marquez, who dipped into the low 1’31s. Francesco Bagnaia, running just ahead of Marc, then moved to provisional pole with Marc Marquez slipping in behind, unable to better the time despite the tow.
But Quartararo wasn’t finished. Lighting up the timing screens and attacking hard into the chicane, the Frenchman reclaimed top spot with a 1’31.047, nearly breaking the 1’30 barrier and signalling his intent.
In the final runs, Bagnaia was first out, seemingly looking to avoid being shadowed by Marquez again. He had Zarco and Morbidelli for company, but only he looked a front row threat—albeit not enough to retake the lead. Alex Marquez again impressed, delivering a spectacular lap to go fastest with a 1’30.8.
Marc attempted to respond but missed the mark, while Quartararo, calmly circulating alone, delivered a jaw-dropping lap to seal pole with a 1’30.651. Bagnaia pushed again to grab second, splitting the Marquez brothers as Marc settled for fourth after a mistake into Turn 1 ended his final effort.
Marco Bezzecchi claimed fifth for Aprilia, with Morbidelli slotting into sixth ahead of fellow Ducati riders Aldeguer and Di Giannantonio, who will be disappointed given his strong recent form. The KTMs of Acosta and Viñales rounded out the top ten, struggling to find pace in the overcast conditions.
Ducati still looks strong, but Quartararo and Yamaha seem to have found their sweet spot. It looks like the best chance for any rider not named Marquez to take a race win for quite some time, with even Bezzecchi a chance to ruffle some feathers from the second row given his strong race runs in practice.
Netherlands MotoGP Qualifying
| POS | RIDER | BIKE | GAP |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | F. Quartararo | Yam | 1'30.651 |
| 2 | F. Bagnaia | Duc | 1'30.679 |
| 3 | A. Marquez | Duc | 1'30.811 |
| 4 | M. Marquez | Duc | 1'30.871 |
| 5 | M. Bezzecchi | Apr | 1'31.060 |
| 6 | F. Morbidelli | Duc | 1'31.170 |
| 7 | F. Aldeguer | Duc | 1'31.286 |
| 8 | F. Di Giannantonio | Duc | 1'31.329 |
| 9 | P. Acosta | Ktm | 1'31.354 |
| 10 | M. Viñales | Ktm | 1'31.465 |
| 11 | R. Fernandez | Apr | 1'31.518 |
| 12 | J. Mir | Hon | 1'31.561 |
| 13 | J. Zarco | Hon | 1'31.647 |
| 14 | J. Miller | Yam | 1'31.704 |
| 15 | L. Savadori | Apr | 1'31.892 |
| 16 | B. Binder | Ktm | 1'31.929 |
| 17 | E. Bastianini | Ktm | 1'31.953 |
| 18 | M. Oliveira | Yam | 1'31.972 |
| 19 | A. Rins | Yam | 1'32.033 |
| 20 | A. Ogura | Apr | 1'32.080 |
| 21 | A. Espargaro | Apr | 1'32.547 |
| 22 | S. Chantra | Hon | 1'33.408 |
