MotoGP Assen Day 2, Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Q3/S4): "I hope we'll start battling with Martin again tomorrow, but later."

Many didn't expect him to be in this position. After leading both sessions yesterday, one could legitimately have imagined a dominant Marco Bezzecchi on this second day at Assen. After all, it's one of his favorite circuits on the calendar, and it also suits the Aprilia RS-GP perfectly. And yet. Outclassed by Ogura and his teammate Jorge Martin in qualifying, he was overtaken by the two Trackhouse Racing riders in Sprint, without being able to catch Fabio Di Giannantonio either. The difference between the factory and satellite riders at Aprilia was striking.

Marco Bezzecchi didn't really understand this performance gap between the two camps. « You know me, and you know that I always strive to do better.It's also true that, given how I felt in the first few laps of this sprint, I couldn't have done any better. Unfortunately, I struggled a bit and immediately lost positions, particularly to Raul and Diggia. The first few laps weren't as sharp as I'd hoped. Then, I always improve during the sprint, and I found a good rhythm and gained ground.Overall, it was a good day, with a good qualifying session, which is also positive for tomorrow, and a sprint where I wasn't at my best. But at least I did my best. » he declared for GP One.

 

 

Well, he still made a name for himself by overtaking Jorge Martin in a rather authoritative manner. He enjoys these kinds of battles, and he hopes to repeat the feat tomorrow. « Jorge made a small mistake at turn 8, I was exiting normally, not at full speed. I overtook him at turn 9, but I heard the sound of his motorcycle and knew he was going to overtake me again. Luckily, I managed to catch up. It was a good battle, I hope we can do it again tomorrow, but later. » he added.

 

 

Generally speaking, it's true that Bezzecchi is much more comfortable on Sundays than on Saturdays. This year, his Sprint performances have even been disappointing, while he shines in GPs. "Let's hope it will be the same tomorrow." I hope to put on a good performanceI think we worked well this weekend, I had a good pace, but even in free practice with the soft tires, I was faster than today. I don't want to let up for a single second, I'm going back to the pits and working to try and improve for tomorrow. » he concluded.

Do you think Marco Bezzecchi can win tomorrow at the Dutch Grand Prix in Assen? Tell us in the comments!

MotoGP Sprint Result at the 2026 Dutch Grand Prix:

 

 

Classification credit: MotoGP.com

Cover photo: Michelin Motorsport