RACE REPORT | MotoGP Netherlands 2025

MotoGP championship leader Marc Marquez held off relentless pressure from Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi to claim victory in Sunday’s Dutch Grand Prix at Assen.

The race began under sunny skies and with high expectations, especially for Fabio Quartararo, who started from pole position wearing a special Yamaha livery. However, the Frenchman had a slow start and was quickly pushed back to fifth by the time the riders reached Turn 1. Francesco Bagnaia surged into the lead, followed by Alex Marquez and Marc Marquez.

As the opening lap continued, Alex and Marc swapped positions, with Marc soon moving into second. At the same time, chaos unfolded further back. Ai Ogura and Miguel Oliveira both crashed at the same corner and were forced to retire early. Quartararo briefly recovered to fourth after Franco Morbidelli nearly lost control, but it didn’t last long. Marco Bezzecchi made a strong move at the final corner and passed Alex Marquez to take third.

KTM’s Pedro Acosta then began his charge, overtaking Alex at Turn 5 on Lap 4. Just two laps later, Acosta and Alex tangled at the same corner in a fierce battle for position. The contact caused Alex to crash heavily. He was taken to the medical centre, where it was confirmed he had fractured his left hand. Meanwhile, Marc Marquez made a bold move on Bagnaia at the final corner of Lap 5 and took the lead.

The crashes didn’t stop there. On Lap 7, Joan Mir and Fermin Aldeguer went down together in another dramatic incident, although both avoided injury. Bezzecchi was flying at the front and passed Bagnaia to move into second, then began to hunt down Marc Marquez. Acosta followed suit and passed Bagnaia at the same spot, bringing three different manufacturers (Honda, Aprilia, and KTM) into the top three by mid-race.

Bezzecchi continued to apply pressure on Marquez but didn’t try to overtake immediately. Instead, he studied his rival’s pace while Bagnaia reclaimed third from Acosta with a clever move at the final corner. Di Giannantonio, who had started from 11th, climbed up the order with a series of fastest laps, eventually reaching sixth position.

On Lap 21, Marc Marquez received a track limits warning. Two more mistakes would mean a long-lap penalty, but he stayed focused and didn’t allow the pressure to affect his riding. Bezzecchi stayed close but couldn’t find a way past. Bagnaia tried to close the gap to Bezzecchi but had to settle for third, finishing two seconds behind the lead duo.

Marc Marquez held strong until the chequered flag and crossed the line first to take an emotional and hard-fought victory. Bezzecchi finished second after a brave ride, securing his second podium of the weekend. Bagnaia completed the podium in third. Pedro Acosta took fourth place, his best result of the season, ahead of Maverick Viñales in fifth. Fabio Di Giannantonio beat Franco Morbidelli for sixth, after Morbidelli was given a long-lap penalty for gaining time at the chicane. Raul Fernandez had a solid race to finish eighth for Trackhouse, with Enea Bastianini ninth and Quartararo tenth.

Rookie Somkiat Chantra earned his first MotoGP point by finishing 15th, beating Honda test rider Aleix Espargaro in a close battle at the back. It was a tough race for many riders, but for Marc Marquez, it was a triumph of skill, resilience, and determination on a historic day at Assen.

2025 MotoGP Assen Grand Prix results