Marc Marquez strengthened his hold on the MotoGP world championship with a commanding win at the Dutch Grand Prix in Assen, overcoming a second-row start to finish ahead of Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi and Ducati teammate Francesco Bagnaia.
The 32-year-old Spaniard, who also triumphed in Saturday’s sprint race despite two crashes during practice, showcased strong pace and composure throughout Sunday’s 26-lap race.
Marquez quickly made his way past Bagnaia by lap five and maintained control from that point, eventually recording his sixth win of the season.
His performance draws him level with Giacomo Agostini’s tally of 68 premier class victories, second only to Valentino Rossi’s 89.
Bagnaia, chasing a fourth consecutive win at the Assen circuit, settled for third place after a promising start, while Bezzecchi’s second-place finish marked a strong outing for Aprilia.
There was misfortune for Marc’s younger brother, Alex Marquez, who was forced to retire following a collision with KTM’s Pedro Acosta.
The incident left Alex nursing a hand injury, later confirmed to be a fracture, and he was taken for medical checks.
The crash further widened the points gap between the Marquez brothers, with Alex now trailing by 68 points in the title race.
Reacting after the race, Marc expressed mixed emotions, saying, “I’m happy with how we recovered and performed this weekend, especially after Friday’s crashes. Assen has never been one of my strongest circuits, so this means a lot. Of course, I feel for Alex, but that’s part of racing.”
MotoGP heads to Germany next, with the Sachsenring round scheduled for 12–13 July, marking the midpoint of the 22-race calendar.
