Bagnaia Blitzes the field to win MotoGP Assen Sprint race as Marquez crashes
Francesco Bagnaia controlled the field to take a dominant victory in the Assen Sprint, with Marc Marquez crashing out as Enea Bastianini sliced through the field after starting from outside the top ten.
Francesco Bagnaia would maintain the lead of the race off the start, with Jorge Martin attempting to match the Factory Ducati’s pace. However, the Pramac Ducati looked much more nervous and twitchy on the exit of corners, as they tyres were also getting up to speed.
Maverick Vinales would manage to overtake Alex Marquez on lap two, the Aprilia taking the final podium place and opening a large gap to the Gresini Ducati rider behind.
On lap two, Marc Marquez would clip the kerb at the fast right-hander of Turn 2, going down and crashing out of the sprint. The front hit the kerb as the front wheel buckled from underneath the Spaniard.
Luca Marini’s Repsol Honda would have smoke pouring from the rear of the bike, already lapping a few seconds slower than his fellow Honda riders, Marini would be forced to retire from the race as Honda’s woes continue, their fastest rider, Joan Mir finishing in 14th place.
Enea Bastianini would dive down the inside of Aleix Espargaro heading into Turn 5, making quick work of the Spaniard as Bastianini then began hunting down the Red Bull KTM of Brad Binder in fifth.
Eventually, after the pair were being held up by Alex Marquez, Bastianini would eventually manage to get up the inside of Binder at Turn 5, making excellent progress through the field, later that lap also taking Marquez in the final chicane. Bastianini initially started the sprint race from 11th place and made it through the field within the first ten laps.
Espargaro would make a slight mistake at Turn 1, running wide and ceasing position to VR46’s Fabio Di Giannantonio.
Eventually, Alex Marquez would be given a long lap penalty for exceeding track limits, the Gresini Ducati rider fighting his own bike in the hopes of holding the riders behind. However, just one lap later, Di Giannantonio would sneak down the inside of Binder into the final chicane, later also drawing alongside Marquez and taking two places within two corners for fifth place.
Aleix Espargaro would then have a huge crash at the penultimate braking zone, the fast left-hander catching the Aprilia rider out as the front washed out from underneath him. Espargaro was clutching his left arm when walking away from the crash as the marshals came to his assistance.
Bagnaia would come through the final chicane to take a dominant victory in the sprint, with Martin seemingly unable to get within striking distance, as the Italian won by a couple of seconds. Vinales would round out the podium with his third place finish a little further down the road.
MotoGP Assen Sprint Race Results
1st Francesco Bagnaia, Factory Ducati
2nd Jorge Martin, Pramac Ducati
3rd Maverick Vinales, Aprilia
4th Enea Bastianini, Factory Ducati
5th Fabio Di Giannantonio, VR46 Ducati
6th Brad Binder, Red Bull Factory KTM
7th Alex Marquez, Gresini Ducati
8th Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha
9th Franco Morbidelli, Pramac Ducati
10th Pedro Acosta, Red Bull GasGas KTM
11th Marco Bezzecchi, VR46 Ducati
12th Miguel Oliveira, Trackhouse Aprilia
13th Jack Miller, Red Bull Factory KTM
14th Joan Mir, Repsol Factory Honda
15th Augusto Fernandez, Red Bull GasGas KTM
16th Johann Zarco, LCR Honda
17th Raul Fernandez, Trackhouse Aprilia
18th Takaaki Nakagami, LCR Honda
19th Alex Rins, Yamaha
DNF Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia
DNF Lorenzo Savadori, Aprilia
DNF Luca Marini, Repsol Factory Honda
