ASSEN, Netherlands — Marco Bezzecchi continued Aprilia’s impressive form by setting the fastest lap in Friday practice for the MotoGP Dutch Grand Prix, leading a factory one-two at Assen after bouncing back from the race ban that sidelined him at Brno last weekend.
Bezzecchi posted a best lap of 1 minute, 31.123 seconds in the 60-minute session, finishing 0.177 seconds ahead of fellow Aprilia rider Raul Fernandez. KTM’s Pedro Acosta completed the top three after improving on his final flying lap following a late restart.
The session ended under dramatic circumstances after Gresini Ducati rider Alex Marquez crashed at Turn 11 with just three minutes remaining, forcing race control to display the red flag. Marquez remained conscious and walked away from the accident with assistance from marshals before the session resumed briefly.
No rider managed to improve on Bezzecchi’s benchmark after the restart, allowing the Italian to complete a clean sweep on Friday after also topping the opening free practice session earlier in the day.
The battle for the fastest time developed quickly from the opening minutes as Bezzecchi and Acosta exchanged fastest laps. Acosta initially appeared to have the pace to lead the session, steadily lowering his lap times, but Bezzecchi repeatedly responded and established an early reference of 1:32.275.
The pace intensified roughly 20 minutes into practice when riders switched to soft rear tires. Reigning world champion Jorge Martin briefly moved to the top with a lap of 1:31.956, demonstrating Aprilia’s growing speed around the flowing Assen circuit.
Bezzecchi immediately answered despite encountering Honda rider Joan Mir in the final chicane during one of his flying laps. The Italian still managed to improve by more than three tenths to reclaim first place.
Aprilia’s dominance became even more apparent as the session progressed. Trackhouse Racing riders Ai Ogura and Raul Fernandez surged up the timing screens, with Ogura briefly taking over the top spot on a 1:31.443 lap while Fernandez climbed to third. Martin remained fourth, giving Aprilia a remarkable one-two-three-four on the leaderboard with 20 minutes remaining.
Although Acosta and Alex Marquez later reduced the gap, Aprilia continued to dictate the pace. Bezzecchi once again reclaimed first place before Fernandez secured second and Ogura held third heading into the closing stages.
The late red flag dramatically altered the fight for automatic qualification into Saturday’s second qualifying session.
Factory Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia appeared to be in serious danger after his quickest lap was deleted because of yellow flag conditions, leaving him only 17th before the interruption. With only one flying lap available after the restart, the Italian delivered under pressure by jumping to fifth place, comfortably securing direct passage into Q2.
Championship leader Marc Marquez finished sixth after deciding not to return to the circuit once practice resumed following the red flag. Earlier in the day, the Ducati rider had experienced a minor fall during the opening practice session but escaped injury.
Fabio Di Giannantonio placed seventh aboard the VR46 Ducati, followed by Tech3 KTM rider Enea Bastianini in eighth.
Martin, despite crashing at Turn 12 during the closing minutes before the red flag, retained ninth place and secured a Q2 berth. Alex Marquez also remained inside the top 10 despite his heavier crash. Medical examinations later confirmed the Spaniard suffered a bruise to his right shoulder and abrasions on his left arm but no significant shoulder injury.
Another rider requiring medical attention was Gresini rookie Fermin Aldeguer, who crashed earlier at Turn 11 and was transported to a nearby hospital for further examinations on his chest and back. Aldeguer nevertheless finished 14th in the final classification.
Mir ended the session as Honda’s leading rider in 12th place, while Fabio Quartararo was Yamaha’s highest-placed competitor in 15th.
Friday’s results further highlighted Aprilia’s growing competitiveness as the Italian manufacturer placed four motorcycles inside the top 10 despite Martin’s crash and enters Saturday as the benchmark heading into qualifying and the sprint race at one of MotoGP’s fastest and most technically demanding circuits.
