History was made at Assen as Marc Marquez clinched his 68th premier-class victory, equalling the great Giacomo Agostini’s all-time record with a hard-fought win over Marco Bezzecchi in a thrilling Dutch GP.
While sunny skies and warmer temperatures prompted most riders to switch from soft to hard fronts and soft to medium rears, pole-sitter Fabio Quartararo’s start in Yamaha’s special Noriyuki Haga livery was less than ideal, as he dropped to fifth off the line.
Franco Morbidelli’s near highside opened the door briefly for Quartararo, but it was Bagnaia who led early, followed by Alex and Marc Marquez. Marc soon dispatched his brother for second at Turn 1, with Bezzecchi and Acosta also slipping past Alex, whose race ended moments later in a high-speed crash after shoulder contact with Acosta at Turn 5.
Initial fears of foul play were dismissed after FIM Stewards reviewed the incident. Unfortunately, Alex was later diagnosed with a fracture to his left hand and is expected to undergo surgery in Madrid.
The drama continued with Gresini’s Fermin Aldeguer suffering a heavy highside that pushed Quartararo onto the grass and tangled up HRC’s Joan Mir.
At the front, Bezzecchi mounted a brave challenge, splitting the factory Ducatis and later passing Bagnaia. Acosta followed through, pushing Pecco off the podium briefly. A lead group of seven slowly thinned to a quartet—Marc, Bezzecchi, Bagnaia, and Acosta—as the pace ramped up.
Despite pushing his RS-GP to the limit, Bezzecchi couldn’t make a move stick on Marquez, who held firm for the win. Bagnaia settled for third, two seconds off the lead, while Acosta posted his strongest result of the season in fourth, just ahead of Maverick Vinales.
Morbidelli was hit with a long lap penalty after shortcutting the chicane in a defensive move against team-mate Di Giannantonio, eventually finishing behind him in sixth. Quartararo finished a quiet tenth, never truly in contention.
Rookie Somkiat Chantra marked a personal milestone by scoring his first MotoGP point.
Aleix Espargaro once again filled in for the injured Luca Marini at HRC, while Lorenzo Savadori continued to stand in for Jorge Martin at Aprilia.
Next up is the German Grand Prix at Sachsenring from July 11–13, a circuit where Marc Marquez has enjoyed unparalleled success.
