MotoGP Dutch TT, FP2: Bagnaia Maintains Dutch Dominance

The eighth round of the 2024 MotoGP World Championship takes place on the famous TT Assen circuit for the MotoGP Dutch TT race. Despite losing championship points at the Italian Grand Prix three weeks ago, Jorge Martin has a 17-point lead heading into this weekend, but the second-placed rider, Francesco Bagna, was fastest in both sessions on Friday.

FP2

Francesco Bagnaia maintained his dominance of the Dutch TT so far by topping FP2 on Saturday morning.

Just under 0.1 seconds from Bagnaia was Maverick Vinales, with Pedro Acosta third. Marc Marquez came in fourth place, ahead of Jorge Martin, who rounded out the top five. While Franco Morbidelli finished sixth. Fabio Di Giannantonio, Alex Marquez, Raul Fernandez and Aleix Espargaro completed the top ten.

Major accidents occurred for both Marco Bezicki and Raul Fernandez at Turn 7. The latter's exit caused the gravel to be pulled into the ring, which led to the red flag being raised.

Technically, updates have been introduced for all four Ducati GP23 riders: Alex Marquez and Marc Marquez of the Gresini Racing Team, and Fabio Di Giannantonio and Marco Pizzicchi of the VR46 Racing Team. The update is aerodynamic and brings the downwash ducts and the accompanying front wheel rotation veins that Ducati introduced to the factory bikes for the 2023 Austrian Grand Prix.

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Francisco Bagnaia topped free practice in Assen for MotoGP World Championship riders, with the reigning champion finishing Friday's free practice 0.065 seconds ahead of Maverick Vinales.

Vinales' teammate, Aleix Espargaro, was one of two riders to crash in the session, but his was particularly significant because it happened on the final corner with two minutes to go, preventing anyone from improving in the closing stages due to the yellow flags.

No one was likely to challenge Bagnaia's 1:31.340, but for the likes of Fabio Quartararo, who narrowly missed out on the top ten, the yellow card was costly.

Viñales, Bagnaia's closest rival for the lead, was the only rider who came within 0.3 seconds of the Italian, while Alex Marquez was third by 0.320 seconds, slightly ahead of Espargaro, while Jorge Martin completed the top five despite some apparent discomfort with his Desmosedici bike. GP24.

Marc Marquez finished sixth, ahead of Brad Binder and Enea Bastianini, who exited at Turn 8 late. Raul Fernandez was fourth at one point, but finished ninth, while Franco Morbidelli late rose from 16th to 10th to knock Quartararo out of the automatic qualifying spots for the second qualifier.

FP1

Fabio Di Giannantonio appeared to have set the best time in the first MotoGP FP1 in Assen, but a track limits violation in the final bend saw his best lap negated and Francesco Bagnaia was promoted to pole for the opening FP1 in the Netherlands.

Bagnaia led by 0.065 seconds over Marc Marquez, the rider who will be his teammate on the Ducati factory team in 2025, while Raul Fernandez came in third. Fabio Quartaro and Maverick Vinales completed the top five.

Aleix Espargaro was sixth fastest on Aprilia's second factory bike, while Di Giannantonio's best legal lap placed him seventh, ahead of Aleix Marquez (another rider whose best lap was cancelled), Brad Binder, and Jorge Martin who completed the top ten. .