MotoGP 2025 Round 10 Report | Marquez Matches Agostini

MotoGP 2025 Round 10 Report | Marquez Matches Agostini in Assen. The #93 claimed his 68th win by 0.6s as chief rival Alex Marquez crashed. Check out our report, and links to the historical article about Sheene winning his first race here, and his RG500 tested… Report: MotoGP/Ed Stratmann

Friday Practice and Saturday Qualifying
MotoGP

Fabio Quartararo’s (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP #20) 1:31.156 gave the Frenchman and Yamaha Day 1 honours at the Motul Grand Prix of the Netherlands in what was a rather dramatic Friday. Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP #73), despite a crash in Practice, headed into Saturday as the second fastest rider, with Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing #37) kicking off his weekend with a positive P3.

Read our previous MotoGP race reports here…

However, positive wasn’t a word to describe Marc Marquez’s (Ducati Lenovo Team #93) day at the Cathedral of Speed. A big crash in FP1 was followed by another rapid off at Turn 7 as drama unfolded for the MotoGP World Championship leader – rider ok but down in sixth by the end of play.

Is there anyone in the world faster in time attack mode than Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP)? Probably not. In a fiercely competitive MotoGP Q2 at the Motul Grand Prix of the Netherlands, the Frenchman stormed to another 2025 pole position with a sensational 1:30.651. The gap to second place Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team #63) was just 0.028s, with Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) completing the front row, as Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) started from off the front row for just the second time this season.

 Moto2

After drama and delay in the morning, it was a smooth afternoon for the Moto2™ field at the TT Circuit Assen as an all-important Practice session gave us the top 14 for Q2 and the big names who need to go via Q1. Late yellow flags and big names suffering problems may have headlined, but it was Filip Salač (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team #12) who bagged top spot by the close of action on Friday, setting a new lap record.

Diogo Moreira (Italtrans Racing Team #10) then took a third pole position in a row thanks to a stunning new lap record at the Motul GP of the Netherlands, so the question begged: can he convert it into a first Moto2™ win? So far he’d just come up short. Trying to stop him on the front row would be Ivan Ortola (QJMOTOR – FRINSA – MSI #4), the rookie impressing late on to get within 0.072s of pole, with Championship leader Manuel Gonzalez (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP #18) completing the front row.

Read about Barry Sheen winning at Assen 50 years ago to the day, here… 

Moto3

A 1:40.053 in the latter stages of a dry Moto3 Practice saw Luca Lunetta (SIC58 Squadra Corse #58) top the Friday afternoon rush at Assen, and his margin to second place was a healthy one. David Muñoz (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP #64) was the rider closest to Lunetta, 0.209s the gap, as Joel Kelso (LEVELUP-MTA #66) made up the top three.

Red Bull KTM Ajo banked a 1-2 on the grid at Assen, with Championship leader Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo #99) ahead of teammate Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo #83).

Saturday
Tissot Sprint

Tissot Sprint victory number nine of the season is in the books for Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) after the #93 got to the front early doors on Saturday at the Motul Grand Prix of the Netherlands.

It was a brilliant start from pole for Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), as Marc Marquez got away just as he’d have hoped. The Yamaha and factory Ducati went into Turn 1 side by side, it was tight, and because he was on the outside, Marquez was slightly wide and had to come back onto the track over the kerb. That then meant it was tight between Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), but the former stayed in P2.

And then, by the end of Lap 1 at the GT Chicane, the title race leader was the Sprint leader after carving up the inside of Quartararo. Alex Marquez quickly followed his brother through, and then Bezzecchi was also past the polesitter.

At the start of Lap 5, the Sprint had settled down a tad, but Alex Marquez was looking eager to pass the #93. Bezzecchi was 0.3s away in P3, Quartararo was a further 0.5s away from the RS-GP and had Pecco and Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team #49) for close company.

Half a lap later, Di Giannantonio was through on Pecco at the GT Chicane. The top six were split by 1.5s on Lap 7 of 13, but it was still Marc Marquez leading the chase.

Then, Quartararo was down. Turn 10 was the place as the YZR-M1’s front end washed away from underneath the Frenchman after he’d just fired in his fastest lap of the Sprint. That gave Bezzecchi some breathing space in P3 – the Italian was 0.8s clear of Di Giannantonio with three laps to go.

Last lap time. 0.2s split the top two, with Bezzecchi 0.7s further down. Could Alex find a way through on Marc? There was no way through in the first three sectors, so it was all coming down to the GT Chicane. And boasting enough of a gap, there was no getting by the six-time MotoGP World Champion. A ninth Sprint win of the season came the way of the #93 in what has been the most difficult weekend of his year so far.

Di Giannantonio finished just over a second away from Bezzecchi in P4, with Bagnaia having to settle for a low-key P5 on Saturday.

“Today, I was calm and tried to control the situation. It’s true that I didn’t expect the victory in the Sprint, but I started first, and then I defended. I just tried to not make any big mistakes,” Marc Marquez explained.

Tissot Sprint Race Results

1. Marc Marquez Ducati Lenovo (20m 2.150s)
2. Alex Marquez BK8 Gresini Ducati (+0.351s)
3. Marco Bezzecchi Aprilia Racing (+1.247s)
4. Fabio Di Giannantonio Pertamina VR46 Ducati (+2.269s)
5. Francesco Bagnaia Ducati Lenovo (+2.686s)

Sunday
MotoGP

In an eventful Motul Grand Prix of the Netherlands that saw title-chasing Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) crash out, Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) fended off the fight from Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) to claim his 68th MotoGP victory by 0.6s. The #93 and #72 treated us to a fascinating Grand Prix at the front, as Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) was a couple of seconds away from the win in P3.

Bagnaia got a brilliant start from the middle of the front row and grabbed the holeshot into Turn 1, as Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) lost out. The polesitter was down to P4, Alex Marquez was P2 and Marc Marquez was P3 – before he wasn’t. The #93 carved his way past his chief title rival at Turn 1 on Lap 2 to sit behind teammate Pecco. Bezzecchi then took P3 from Alex Marquez at the end of Lap 2.

Quartararo’s early Grand Prix pace was suffering. The Frenchman was down to P7 behind Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team #21), as Acosta became the latest rider to wrestle his way through on Alex Marquez. That meant on Lap 5 of 26, Bagnaia led from Marc Marquez and Bezzecchi, with Acosta, Alex Marquez and Morbidelli right in the hunt.

The leader of the pack wasn’t Pecco at the end of Lap 5, though, as Marc Marquez lunged up the inside of his teammate. Then, on Lap 6, drama. Alex Marquez and Acosta were rubbing shoulders and fairings on the exit of Turn 5, and heading up the back straight, Marquez was suddenly down. A puff of smoke from the Gresini star’s tyre suggested something had happened with the brake lever, but in any case, Alex Marquez’s Grand Prix was over – and it was later confirmed he’d unfortunately fractured his left hand.

Further back in the pack, the other BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP rider, Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP #54), highsided out of contention at Turn 11, and that left Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol #36) and Quartararo with nowhere to go. The latter was wide and down to P13, as Mir also crashed.

At the front, Marquez remained at the front, but on Lap 8, Bezzecchi made a move on Pecco to pounce up to P2. Now, Pecco had Acosta climbing all over the back of him, and sure enough, the KTM star moved into P3. And it was really closing up at the front because Maverick Viñales (Red Bull KTM Tech3 #12) and Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) reeled themselves into the podium picture.

On Lap 13, Marc Marquez was putting the hammer down. A 1:32.273 was over two tenths quicker than Bezzecchi, but on the next lap, the Italian responded with the fastest lap of the Grand Prix. And on that same lap, Pecco passed Acosta to regain P3.

And now he was back in P3, with Pecco setting the fastest lap. Two tenths quicker than Marquez, less than half a tenth quicker than Bezzecchi. After threatening to break clear, Marquez didn’t look like he was going to be able to do so at this stage. The chasers were locked in, and that included Acosta. And again, Pecco slammed in another Grand Prix best lap, but he lost 0.3s on the next lap.

So where were we on Lap 20? Marquez led Bezzecchi by 0.2s, with Pecco 0.5s behind the Aprilia and Acosta 0.7s off the Ducati. It was as you were two laps later, as Bezzecchi continued to tag himself onto the rear tyre of Marquez.

Three to go. Bezzecchi remained 0.2s away and he just couldn’t quite get close enough to realistically make a lunge on the #93. Two to go. Bezzecchi was digging deep, but Marquez wasn’t putting a wheel out of line, and Pecco was now 0.9s away from his compatriot. And the penultimate lap was where the gap stretched out to 0.7s – was that game over?

It looked that way. Bezzecchi couldn’t close in, and Marquez had 0.7s to play with heading into the final sector. And powering his Ducati through the final chicane, Marquez clinched victory at Assen to draw level with MotoGP Legend Giacomo Agostini on 68 MotoGP wins. An unbelievable record as he continues to set the world alight in 2025.

Bezzecchi handed Aprilia a double podium weekend at Assen as the #72 pushed Marquez all the way at the Cathedral, with Bagnaia returning to the podium in P3 after a disappointing result on home turf seven days ago.

Acosta didn’t quite have enough to cling onto the podium fight, but it was a great Grand Prix for the Spaniard and KTM in P4. Viñales handed the Austrian factory a double top five, with Di Giannantonio taking home P6 and Morbidelli finishing P7 after being handed a Long Lap penalty for shortcutting the final chicane while battling his teammate.

“We had an amazing weekend, unexpected because normally Assen is not one of my best tracks,” Marc Marquez said.

MotoGP Race Results

1. Marc Marquez Ducati Lenovo
2. Marco Bezzecchi Aprilia Racing (+0.635s)
3. Francesco Bagnaia Ducati Lenovo (+2.666s)
4. Pedro Acosta Red Bull KTM (+6.084s)
5. Maverick Viñales Red Bull KTM Tech3 (+10.124s)

Check out the full MotoGP race results here…

 MotoGP Championship Points

1. Marc Marquez BK8 Gresini Ducati – 307
2. Alex Marquez Ducati Lenovo – 239
3. Francesco Bagnaia Ducati Lenovo – 181
4. Franco Morbidelli Pertamina VR46 Ducati – 139
5. Fabio Di Giannantonio Pertamina Enduro VR46 Team LCR – 136

 Moto2

After the two threw down at Mugello over the podium, the stakes were even higher in Assen as Diogo Moreira (Italtrans Racing Team) beat Aron Canet (Fantic Racing Lino Sonego #44) in a thriller. The Brazilian made history by taking his first Moto2 win, and first for Brazil, by just 0.056s in a fascinating fight to the flag, as championship leader Manuel Gonzalez (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) battled his way back to a P3 finish following a sluggish opening few laps.

Having bagged the first front row of his rookie campaign, Ivan Ortola (QJMOTOR – FRINSA – MSI) collected the holeshot. But polesitter Moreira pounced back to lead through turns three and four. Having fought off a fast-starting Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo #53) on Lap 1, Canet forced his way to the front on Lap 2 to lead the Dutch GP. Meanwhile, Gonzalez was P9.

Barry Baltus (Fantic Racing Lino Sonego #7) completed his two Long Lap penalties by Lap 5, which dropped the Belgian to P14, as Ortola began to get a little beaten up by the chasing pack. Albert Arenas (ITALJET Gresini Moto2 #75), Joe Roberts (OnlyFans American Racing Team #16) and Jake Dixon (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team #96) were through to demote Ortola to P7.

Lap 7 saw Baltus’ Grand Prix end at Turn 1, while at the front, Canet and Moreira were 1.2s clear of Öncü, who, in turn, was 1.3s clear of Roberts as the American led a gaggle of riders that included Gonzalez, who was now past Dixon and starting to make up ground after a sticky start to his race. And on Lap 12 of 22, Gonzalez was into P3 after a tidy pass on Öncü at Turn 5. The gap to title rivals Canet and Moreira? Three seconds.

In the battle for the top four, Öncü’s race ended at the final chicane on Lap 14 to promote Dixon to P5, as Moreira continued to shadow Canet in the fight for the win. With three to go, Moreira remained right up the tailpipes of Canet’s Triumph-Kalex – where and when was a move coming? The change for the lead came on the penultimate lap at Turn 3. Canet was wide, Moreira went through, so was that the race-winning move?

Last lap time! Moreira led into it, but the duo were locked together. It was as you were coming into the final, jaw-dropping sector at Assen, and Canet wasn’t close enough. Moreira earned a debut Moto2 win to hand Brazil their first Moto2 win too – a massive moment for the #10.

Gonzalez did hold onto an important P3 ahead of Dixon, who collected a very solid and confidence-injecting P4 from P11 on the grid. Roberts fended off teammate Marcos Ramirez by 0.061s at the line as the American and Spaniard crossed the line in P5 and P6.

Moto2 Race Results

1. Diogo Moreira Italtrans Racing Team
2. Aron Canet Fantic Racing LINO SONEGO (+0.056s)
3. Manuel Gonzalez Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP (+1.783s)
4. Jake Dixon Elf Marc VDS Racing (+2.364s)
5. Joe Roberts OnlyFans American Racing Team (+3.212s)

 Moto2 Championship Points

1. Manuel Gonzalez Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP – 159
2. Aron Canet Fantic Racing LINO SONEGO – 154
3. Diogo Moreira Italtrans Racing Team – 128
4. Jake Dixon Elf Marc VDS Racing – 98
5. Barry Baltus Fantic Racing LINO SONEGO – 94

 Moto3

Keeping a cool head when it mattered most, Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) came out on top in a crazy Moto3 Grand Prix ahead of David Muñoz (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) and Valentin Perrone (Red Bull KTM Ajo #73). Not only did the #99 extend his championship lead, but another key talking point was that the Argentine flag returned to the rostrum for the first time in four years thanks to Perrone’s third.

Grabbing the first holeshot on Sunday, Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) led teammate and Championship leader Rueda, but there was drama behind for Guido Pini (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP #94), who stalled it on the grid from P7. Thankfully, everyone avoided him, but the #94’s Dutch GP was done. Rueda had taken over in P1 from his teammate, and then, on Lap 2, David Almansa (Leopard Racing #22) attempted a pass on the #99 at Turn 8 but collided with him. Carpe, who was in the wrong place at the wrong time, lost momentum and dropped down to P15. Lap 4 and more contact, this time between Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia #72) and Angel Piqueras (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI #36) at the final chicane, both losing places but staying in the victory chase.

Leading until Lap 9, Rueda relinquished it at Turn 12 to a hard-charging Maximo Quiles (CFMoto Gaviota Aspar Team #28), as the #28 forced his way through and thus upset the polesitter’s rhythm. Ryusei Yamanaka (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI #6) and Almansa – albeit briefly for the #22 – put him back to P4.

Fernandez was now pouncing too, for he got ahead of his teammate, and then Rueda, to propel himself into the provisional podium places. A mistake at the end of Lap 11 dropped the #99 further back, and he was now down in seventh place, just ahead of Perrone.

Lap 15, and the gloves came off as Almansa briefly took P1, barging ahead of Maximo Quiles, who repaid the favour at Turn 9. Heading into Lap 16 at Turn 1, Carpe’s sensational comeback was nearing completion. P3 at Turn 1, he was in the lead at Turn 10, and after swapping paint with the #22 of Almansa, maintained the advantage. Likewise fighting back through, Furusato was eighth and Rueda in the provisional podium spots.

With three laps to go and having hustled his way back through the group, Quiles crashed at Turn 10. And for Almansa, he was shoved wide at Turn 15 by Perrone, sending him back to 13th place with two to go. Amidst the drama, Rueda and Carpe were back at the front, and at the right time, heading into the final lap, with Muñoz keeping his powder dry.

At the end of the penultimate lap, there was a big crash for Furusato, Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing #31) and Luca Lunetta (SIC58 Squadra Corse). The group fragmented, it was down to three at the front: Rueda vs Perrone vs Muñoz.

Into the final sector on the last lap, Muñoz snatched P2 at Turn 15, but due to the previous multi-rider crash, a red flag was thrown before the field returned through where the incident was being cleared. Results went back to the start of Lap 19, with Rueda declared the winner ahead of Muñoz and Perrone, which was the first podium of the #73’s career and indeed for Argentina since Mugello in 2021 with Gabriel Rodrigo.

Carpe came back to fourth ahead of Piqueras, who salvaged fifth from 16th on the grid.

Moto3 Race Results

1. Jose Antonio Rueda Red Bull KTM Ajo
2. David Munoz Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP (+0.144s)
3. Valentin Perrone Red Bull KTM Tech3 (+0.245s)
4. Alvaro Carpe Red Bull KTM Ajo (+1.087s)
5. Angel Piqueras FRINSA -MT Helmets – MSI (+1.296s)

 Moto3 Championship Points

1. Jose Antonio Rueda Red Bull KTM Ajo – 187
2. Alvaro Carpe Red Bull KTM Ajo – 118
3. Angel Piqueras FRINSA – MT Helmets – 117
4. Joel Kelso LEVELUP – MTA – 100
5. Maximo Qulies CFMOTO Valresa Aspar Team – 86

MotoE

MotoE graced the hallowed racing ground of the TT Circuit Assen for two spectacular races on Saturday. It was the second round of action for the electric class in 2025, with plenty of drama unfolding over both events, which saw Andrea Mantovani (KLINT Forward Factory Team #9) and Alessandro Zaccone (Aruba Cloud MotoE Team #61) take top step honours at the Cathedral of Speed.

MotoE Race 1 Results

1. Andrea Mantovani KLINT Forward Factory Team
2. Alessandro Zaccone Aruba Cloud MotoE Team (+0.413s)
3. Jordi Torres Power Electronics Aspar Team (+0.858s)
4. Nicholas Spinelli Rivacold Snipers Team MotoE (+1.052s)
5. Matteo Ferrari Felo Gresini MotoE (+3.289s)

MotoE Race 2 Results

1. Alessandro Zaccone Aruba Cloud MotoE Team
2. Andrea Mantovani KLINT Forward Factory Team (+0.365s)
3. Lorenzo Baldassarri Dynavolt Intact GP (+3.244s)
4. Jordi Torres Power Electronics Aspar Team (+3.463s)
5. Hector Garzo Dynavolt Intact GP (+3.721s)

MotoE Championship Points

1. Andrea Mantovani KLINT Forward Factory Team – 74
2. Alessandro Zaccone Aruba Cloud MotoE Team – 61
3. Jordi Torres Power Electronics Aspar Team – 54
4. Lorenzo Baldassarri Dynavolt Intact GP – 47
5. Mattia Casadei LCR E-Team – 46

How Did the Aussies Do?

 Having claimed 14th in the Sprint, Jack Miller (#43) also secured 14th in the main race. Displaying promising pace throughout, positives could be found from how he briefly moved up to 10th on lap seven and stayed in 11th for nine laps, even though some tough battles in the closing laps saw him eventually drop back to 14th.

Despite making a tidy start, the 20-year-old Australian Senna Agius was hampered by unexpected grip issues that disrupted his early momentum. To his credit, he regrouped quickly, settled into a solid rhythm and fought his way to a well-earned ninth.

 While ninth at Assen may have been a disappointing result for Joel Kelso, with his speed below his usual level and his race disrupted as he was forced to avoid a crash, he still deserves credit for salvaging valuable points to maintain fourth in the Moto3 standings.

Jacob Roulstone (#12) continued his steady return to form with a solid 12th at Assen. While he knows he has what it takes to battle further up the field, he’ll look to carry this momentum into Germany as he keeps building confidence and consistency.