Franco Morbidelli admitted the Dutch Grand Prix was his most difficult race of the 2025 MotoGP season after finishing seventh—his first time outside the top six on a Sunday this year.
Riding for VR46, Morbidelli started strong and ran in the top five during the early laps but gradually slipped back, overtaken by Maverick Vinales and team-mate Fabio Di Giannantonio in the second half of the race. A long lap penalty for cutting the final chicane while defending his position further compounded his challenges.
“At the end, the seventh place is a good result on my most difficult race of the year,” said Morbidelli. “Here I’ve always struggled, and I knew it would happen this weekend too. But we struggled less than I thought, and this is positive.”
Despite the setback, Morbidelli remains fourth in the championship standings, though now just three points ahead of Di Giannantonio.
Di Giannantonio, who finished sixth, enjoyed the on-track fight but felt the duel cost him a chance to challenge Vinales for fifth. “It’s been fun, I hope also the guys at home enjoyed it,” he said. “But maybe we lost too much time. Being with Maverick was possible.”
VR46 Team Manager Pablo Nieto shared his disappointment after both riders fell short of expectations at Assen.
“For sure we expected something more both for Fabio and Franco,” Nieto said. “We arrived motivated because of the podium at Mugello, but here in Assen we missed something. We must go back home, analyse all the data and prepare to return stronger at Sachsenring.”
