Bagnaia completes perfect weekend in Assen with stunning win

Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) was in a league of his own and completed a perfect weekend in Assen with a lights-to-flag Grand Prix victory.

The pole sitter took the holeshot at lights out and broke away from the field, only Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) able to go with him.

The gap at the front stayed on around one second until Bagnaia dropped the hammer with 10 laps to go and pulled further away from his opponent for a commanding win.

“I very much enjoyed everything,” the reigning world champion said in parc ferme. “All weekend everything was perfect. I want to say thanks to this fantastic crowd and today we enjoyed a lot.

“We were very fast, very precise and the weather was fantastic, so we had the possibility to put our pace down and the tyre choice was perfect.

“Everything went perfectly, so I’m very happy.”

Bagnaia had a blistering start from pole position and stretched out a half a second lead already on the opening lap. Behind, Martin swiftly made his way up into second place, having dropped down to fifth on the grid following a penalty.

The duo immediately stretched away from the field, Martin keeping Bagnaia honest and the gap between them on around one second.

However, Bagnaia found an extra gear with 10 laps to go and gradually started to break his opponent. Martin had nothing more to offer and eventually had to settle for runner-up spot, the gap on more than three and a half seconds at the chequered flag.

“It was a difficult, difficult weekend for sure,” the Championship leader admitted. “We came through Friday and it was really bad, we improved a lot for yesterday. Then from yesterday to today we made another big step, we were much closer to Pecco [Bagnaia].

“But at the end of the race I had nothing left. I tried my absolute best to try catch him, but I think second position is good enough for a tough weekend.

“I started the weekend with two second positions and I’m really happy to do a podium for the first time here in Assen, so let’s try again next season.”

Nevertheless, Martin continues to lead the overall standings, now sitting 10 points ahead of Bagnaia.

Behind, a group of riders battled it out for third. Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team), Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP), and Maverick Vinales (Aprilia Racing) were in contention throughout proceedings, but it was Enea Bastianini (Ducai Lenovo Team) who found the best late race pace.

Charging through the field from 11th on the grid, Bastianini caught the group fighting for third on Lap 18.

Vinales moved into the quartet lead, capitalising when things got tight between Marquez and Di Giannantonio, and tried to escape, but Bastianini looked ultra comfortable, made light work of the two satellite Ducatis and went to hunt down the Aprilia.

Diving down the inside through the final chicane, Bastianini moved into the final podium spot on Lap 22 and held on to the position.

“Incredible,” he said post-race. “I tried to push from the start, but I suffered a little bit with the rear tyre, especially on the right side.

“But lap by lap I improved and I was really close to the podium. I tried to do it and in the end it arrived.

“I’m very satisfied with the team’s job because two days ago we weren’t really good for the Dutch GP, but in the end we are here on the podium and we can be happy.”

A mistake from Vinales saw him go wide through the final chicane on the last lap, allowing Marquez to go through into fourth. While he did just manage to defend from Di Giannantonio, Vinales eventually lost the position anyway due to exceeding track limits.

Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) was running in seventh, but his race came to a premature end in a high speed crash at Turn 7 on the last lap, Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) inheriting the position instead.

Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP) was eighth from Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse Racing) and Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing) who rounded out the top 10 initially. However, the ranking changed again when Marc Marquez was retrospectively awarded a 16-seconds penalty for a tyre pressure infringement and dropped all the way down into 10th.

Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) came home in 11th ahead of Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team) and Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR) while Augusto Fernandez (Red Bull GASGAS Tech 3) was 14th and Miguel Oliveira (Trackhouse Racing) bagged the final point on offer.

Bastianini once again proved his ability to find unmatchable speed late in a race.

Starting from P11 on the grid, the Italian had no business finishing on the podium but pulled off an incredible second half of the Dutch GP. Overtaking numerous riders – and delivering the best entertainment of the race – he made his way up the order to bag his fourth podium of the season.

For large parts of today’s action, there was no rider quicker than Bastianini. If he can sort out his qualifying woes, there is no doubt that he can challenge for race wins this season.

1/26: BAGNAIA TAKES HOLESHOT – Magnificent start again from Bagnaia who takes the holeshot from pole. Vinales is second with Martin up to third from P5 on the grid.

2/26: BAGNAIA BOLTS – Not wasting any time, Bagnaia already holds more than half a second at the front. Meanwhile, Vinales leaves the door open and M Marquez slots past into third but already trails Martin by more than half a second as well.

5/26: BAGNAIA RESPONDS – The gap has been coming down, but Bagnaia responds and opens distance to Martin again, increasing his advantage to more than a second.

7/26: DI GIANNANTONIO ON THE CHARGE – Indeed, Di Giannantonio makes light work of Vinales. He is currently the fastest rider on track and eyes up M Marquez for third.

8/26: DI GIANNANTONIO INTO THIRD – Curiously, M Marquez signals to Di Giannantonio to go past him into third – M Marquez is on a track limits warning but hasn’t been awarded a penalty. A possible explanation is tyre temperatures and M Marquez needing a slipstream to cool his compound.

15/26: BAGNAIA BREAKS – The gap at the front is approaching one and a half seconds and it looks like Bagnaia is now breaking Martin.

18/26: BASTIANINI INTO SIXTH – There’s the expected move from Bastianini on Acosta – and he had to make it since Di Giannantonio, M Marquez, and Vinales are starting to escape.

19/26: VINALES INTO THIRD – Unreal from Vinales who capitalises as things get close between Di Giannantonio and M Marquez and slots past into third.

22/26: FIGHT FOR THIRD – Bastianini has Vinales firmly in his sight and dives down the inside through the final chicane to move up into third.

26/26: BAGNAIA WINS IN ASSEN – Bagnaia comes home to complete a perfect weekend in Assen with Martin in second. Bastianini does hold on to third, but a late error from Vinales allows M Marquez past into fourth through the final chicane with Vinales just able to defend from Di Giannantonio. He has exceeded track Limits though and will lose the position.