Spain’s Marc Márquez claimed his third consecutive Sunday race win – a feat he hadn’t achieved in six years – while also equalling Giacomo Agostini’s tally of premier class wins (68) when he won the weekend’s Dutch GP at Assen.
His Italian team-mate in the Ducati Lenovo Team, Francesco ‘Pecco’ Bagnaia, returned to the podium in third place.
Márquez got off to a strong start from row two and moved into the lead on lap six.
He defended the top spot confidently from Italian Aprilia rider Marco Bezzecchi and pulled away in the final stages. Bagnaia had led the early part of the race for five laps before dropping back slightly.
Bagnaia then closed the gap to the leading duo but was unable to get close enough to fight for the win.
At the end of the tenth Grand Prix of the season, Márquez leads the championship with 370 points, holding a 68-point advantage over his brother Alex Márquez.
Francesco Bagnaia lies third, 126 points behind his team-mate. The Ducati Lenovo Team remains at the top of the teams’ standings (488 points), while Ducati continues to lead the manufacturers’ standings (356 points).
The racers will be back in action on 11 July at the Sachsenring for the 11th Grand Prix of the season.
“I was expecting the win, even though – like yesterday – I wasn’t the fastest rider on track,” said Marc Marquez afterwards.
“I managed the gap in the early stages, then controlled the race, and I’m very happy because we scored another 37 points. Obviously, I’m not fully satisfied, as my main rival – my brother – crashed and got injured.
“But that’s racing. I want to thank Ducati and the team, who worked until late on Friday after I destroyed the bike twice.”
Bagnaia was also content with his result.
“Here, for the first time, I felt I had a real chance to fight for the win,” said Bagnaia.
“Today, when I finally managed to get fully dialled in, it was already a bit too late. I was lapping really fast, but I can’t seem to get close enough to the rider ahead. When I try, I end up taking too many risks, which usually lead to me running wide.
“It’s a tricky situation that has been with us since the start of the season, and it seems hard to solve – but we must keep working and take a step forward.”
Photo courtesy Ducati
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Results MotoGP Grand Prix of The Netherlands:
- Marc Marquez (ESP) Ducati 41:14.072
- Marco Bezzecchi (ITA) Aprilia +0.635
- Francesco Bagnaia (ITA) Ducati +2.666
World Championship standings MotoGP:
- Marc Marquez (ESP) Ducati, 307 points
- Alex Marquez (ESP) Ducati, 239
- Francesco Bagnaia (ITA) Ducati, 181