Marc Marquez crowns him the ruler of Assen: Marco Bezzecchi’s response
Marco Bezzecchi is on track for a one-two finish this weekend at Assen: take it from Marc Marquez. After all, the rider from Romagna wrapped up Friday by dominating free practice and pre-qualifying on a particularly competitive Aprilia. At the end of the day, however, he chose to remain noncommittal, effectively offering a indirect response to the prediction made by his Catalan Ducati rival ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix. It’s important to remember that Marquez has won the last two MotoGP world championship races and has narrowed the gap in the standings to 40 points.
“Yes, I had fun and today went well,” Bezzecchi told ‘Sky Sport’. “I started off really fired up, felt good, and right from the start the Aprilia responded brilliantly. I don’t think, however, that our bike is that much better than the others in the heat; it’s true that we’re performing better on the fast sections. But the others will catch up now, so it’s important to stay focused and keep working hard.”
In pre-qualifying, the World Championship leader clocked a time of 1’31.123, finishing ahead of his Aprilia teammates Raul Fernandez and Ai Ogura, as well as KTM rider Pedro Acosta. Pecco Bagnaia and Marc Marquez also advanced directly to Q2, finishing fifth and sixth, respectively, along with Fabio Di Giannantonio in seventh, Enea Bastianini, Jorge Martin, and Alex Marquez, who rounded out the top 10 before suffering a nasty crash late in the session that forced him to visit the medical center for evaluation.
Crashes, in fact, defined the day for both Marquez brothers. Marc also went down, without any physical consequences, but the incident underscored his cautious approach heading into the weekend. “My front end locked up—it can happen in motorcycle racing,” explained the Catalan rider. “But right now, given my physical condition, Assen is one of the most dangerous tracks. Here, if you crash, you’re likely to do so at very high speed. I have to race in risk-reduction mode; I think I’ll finish the Dutch Grand Prix between sixth and seventh place.” In addition to Bezzecchi’s one-two finish, Marquez expects a hard-fought race: “There will also be Bagnaia, Di Giannantonio, and Acosta, who are all riding very strongly.”
The nine-time world champion’s caution comes as no surprise, considering that Marquez himself had already admitted on the eve of the Dutch weekend that he has a complicated relationship with this track: “I hope Assen is the last circuit where I have to make do a bit. Even when I’m at my best, it’s a track that gives me trouble.” Yet number 93 arrives in the Netherlands on a roll after back-to-back wins in Hungary and the Czech Republic, where he overtook Bagnaia with six laps to go. These results have propelled him back into the title race, bringing him to within 40 points of the lead.
For Bezzecchi, on the other hand, the Assen weekend represents a chance for redemption after his disqualification at Brno, where he was barred from Sunday’s race for shoving and slapping a track marshal during the Sprint Race. The incident caused quite a stir in the paddock, but the rider from Romagna later resolved the matter with a public apology and a personal hug for the steward involved. Adding further context to the Dutch weekend is the news of Marc Marquez’s contract renewal with Ducati for the 2027 and 2028 seasons, made official in recent days: “I’m really happy to have renewed with Ducati for another two years,” the Catalan rider said. “I decided to take this step because I feel ready: my condition is improving day by day.”
