MotoGP Netherlands Assen FP1 LIVE: Francesco Bagnaia wins the cockfight!

If the 3-week spring break, due to the postponement of the Kazakhstan Grand Prix due to the floods which hit the region, was furnished by the headlines of the successive changes of positions on the chessboard of the 2025 transfer window, it is now time to resume accounting for the Championship World MotoGP, approaching its 8th round, which begins today on the TT Assen circuit in the Netherlands. This season, there is still one championship to win, with 13 Grands Prix, 13 Tissot Sprints and a maximum of 481 points before the succession of two classics, starting with the TT Circuit Assen which is celebrating its 75th Grand Prix since it appears on the calendar every year since 1949, with the exception of one absence in 2020 due to pandemic…

More than a simple Excel table, our graph allows you to immediately see the asymptotic form of the curve. Francis Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), one of only two riders to have scored the maximum points during a weekend this season, with Maverick Vinales (Aprilia Racing). The reigning double world champion did not miss his home meeting at Mugello, and is 18 points closer to the lead in the general classification, all the more confident since he won there last year. pass. On paper, he is therefore the favorite, and his speech proves it…

“After Mugello, having three weeks off to recover was a good thing. I rested a bit, but mostly continued training, riding my Panigale V4S on the track and then competing in a Monster Energy event at Silverstone with other drivers. Today, things are getting serious again and I am happy to resume the season at Assen, one of my favorite circuits, which I have tattooed on my arm. During the last GPs, we worked well and my sensations with the Desmosedici were very good. I remain on two consecutive victories, three if we count the Mugello Sprint, so, for sure, the conditions are met to continue to work well. I hope the weather will be good and allow us to work consistently since the first session on Friday, but in any case, I am ready to face the weekend in any conditions. »

In front of the Ducati official only appears the championship leader, George Martin (Prima Pramac Racing), humiliated by Borgo Panigale despite his top performances for two years. Whoever has bet on Aprilia from 2025 will undoubtedly be keen to show that he is the best, even if the meter track has hardly been favorable to him so far, with the Madrilenian only having one podium. at the Dutch TT, a victory from pole in 2018 in Moto3™ on the way to the crown. He finished P5 in 2023 for his best MotoGP™ result at the circuit. In 2021, he qualified 14th, moved up to 12th place at the start of the race before falling to 19th place and abandoning, the result of his injuries contracted in Portugal earlier in the season. 7th in 2022, 6th in the Sprint and 5th in the GP in 2023, we will not draw any predictions from this…

Four other drivers seem able to come and play spoilsport, starting of course with Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) which, from Jerez, makes good money from its race weekends. Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team), Peter Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) and Maverick Vinales (Aprilia Racing) are also capable of very good things, although a little less regular at the moment.

But to write the eighth chapter of this 2024 MotoGP season, it will be necessary to cover the 13 meter route 4542 times during the Sprint on Saturday and complete 26 loops on Sunday, on a track with a not very abrasive surface characterized by very fast sequences, especially in the second part. Brembo sleeps soundly, Michelin provided a harder front tire...

Among the current full-time riders, 9 have reached the podium at Assen in MotoGP, Marc Marquez (7), Viñales (4), Quartararo (2), Bagnaia (2), Bezzecchi (2), Miller (1), Joan Mir (1), Alex Rins (1), Aleix Espargaro (1), et 7 took pole, Marc Marquez (1), Johann zarco (1), bagnaia (1), Quarterly (1), Aleix Asparagus (1), Casa Particular in Viñales (1) et Bezzecchi (1).

The last editions were won by Francesco Bagnaia (2023 and 2022), fabio quartararo (2021), Maverick Vinales (2019), Marc Marquez (2018) and Valentino Rossi (2017, his last victory).

The records are set in 1'41.472 for pole position (Marco Bezzecchi) in 2023, and 319,8 km/h for the speed (Andrea Iannone) since 2015!

 

Weather wise, we should escape the rain…

While waiting to discover more, when the 23 pilots (Lorenzo Savadori is Wildcard again for Aprilia) are preparing for this first 45-minute free practice session, with wind, a rather overcast sky and temperatures of 20° in the air and 34° on the ground, let's enjoy these few moments live thanks to the official website MotoGP.com :

Here is the table which summarizes the facts known so far.

MotoGP™ Netherlands, Assen	2023	2024
FP1	1'32.246 Marco Bezzecchi (See here)	1'32.401 Francesco Bagnaia (See here)
Practice	1'32.063 Marco Bezzecchi (See here)	(See here)
FP2	1'32.405 Marco Bezzecchi (See here)	(See here)
Q1	1'31.993 Johann Zarco (See here)	(See here)
Q2	1'31.472 Marco Bezzecchi (See here)	(See here)
Sprint	Bezzecchi, Bagnaia, Quartararo (See here)	(See here)
Warm Up	1'32.422 Fabio Quartararo (See here)	(See here)
Course	Bagnaia, Bezzecchi, Espargaro (See here)	(See here)
All time lap record	1'31.472 Marco Bezzecchi (See here)

When the red lights go out… the future official Ducati rider Marc Márquez rushes first in front of his brother Alex, while the future Tech3 driver Maverick Vinales stays in his box.

Alex Espargaro experiences a technical problem in his box which causes him to fall, then rushes for a few meters before stopping again at the edge of the track.

In terms of tires, everyone is on medium at the rear, with soft or medium at the front.

Marc Márquez set a benchmark in 1'34.286 in his second flying lap, immediately beaten by Francis Bagnaia in 1'34.225.

The Spaniard regained the advantage in 1'33.693 on the next pass, this time surpassed by Raul fernandez, in 1'33.642.

Marc Márquez puts his work back on the table and displays 1'33.004 in his fourth flying lap, but again Francis Bagnaia regains the lead in 1'32.820... we're already looking forward to 2025, even if, ultimately, Pecco's time is canceled!

At the end of the first run, the hierarchy is therefore composed of Marc Márquez, Jorge Martin, Maverick Vinales, Enea Bastianini, Alex Márquez, Marco Bezzecchi, Fabio Quartararo, Raul Fernandez, Francesco Bagnaia, Pedro Acosta, Fabio Di Giannantonio, Franco Morbidelli, Miguel Oliveira, Johann Zarco, Nakagami, Augusto Fernandez, Aleix Espargaro , Lorenzo Savadori, Johann Mir, Brad Binder, Luca Marini, Jack Miller and Alex Rins.

On the Yamaha side, fabio quartararo seems to have driven with the new engine, recognizable thanks to its short exhaust. Each of the two drivers of an M1 equipped in this way, the other having the long exhaust and the normal engine.

On resumption, Francis Bagnaia takes command in 1'32.625 and everyone improves behind him, starting with the two brothers Márquez which has Jorge Martin and Raul Fernandez.

A quarter of an hour from the checkered flag, Pecco Bagnaia progresses in 1'32.401 at the moment Marc Marquez gets closer to 15/100, and we really have the impression of a duel of egos between the two future teammates…

Before the final confrontation, the table presents Francesco Bagnaia, Marc Márquez, Maverick Vinales, Alex Márquez, Jorge Martin, Brad Binder, Fabio Di Giannantonio, Aleix Espargaro, Enea Bastianini, Fabio Quartararo, Brad Binder, Marc, Franco Morbidelli, Pedro Acosta, Miguel Oliveira, Alex Rins, Jack Miller , Takaaki Nakagami, Augusto Fernandez, Johann Zarco, Luca Marini, Lorenzo Savadori and Joan Mir.

Even if this session does not count for direct passage to Q2, some start in the last one with a new rear tire, or even a soft tire like Fabio Di Giannantonio, Fabio Quartararo and Marco Bezzecchi. This is not the case of Francis Bagnaia whose tires are already 17 laps old, and which appears ultra-dominant despite the tenacious opposition of Marc Marquez...

Logically in these conditions, Fabio Di Giannantonio achieved the best time, in 1'32.314, but one might wonder the real point of the maneuver... especially since, in any case, his time was ultimately canceled.

See you at 15:00 p.m. for the Pre-Qualifying Practice!

FP1 MotoGP standings for the 2024 Dutch Grand Prix in Assen:

Classification credit: MotoGP.com

MotoGP Netherlands Assen