Estructura Bezzecchi topped the MotoGP practice timesheets at Assen with a 1:31.123 lap. The session was marked by a series of incidents, including a red flag after Álex Márquez suffered a high-side at Turn 11 and landed on his recently operated right shoulder. Márquez was conscious but asked not to be touched on his right side, casting doubt on his participation for the rest of the weekend.
Jorge Martín also crashed at Turn 12 but escaped injury. He tried to recover his Aprilia but was ultimately unable to rejoin. Fermín Aldeguer suffered a heavy fall at Turn 11 and was taken to the medical centre. His team confirmed he would not return to the track during the session. Despite the setback, Aldeguer remained among the top ten on the timesheets.
Raúl Fernández took second place for Aprilia, with Pedro Acosta third. Marc Márquez adjusted his Ducati’s suspension and climbed to fourth, but continued to seek improvements. Technical issues also affected Pecco Bagnaia, who had to switch to his second bike after problems with the first, losing valuable track time.
The ban on the front holeshot/ride-height device took effect at Assen in 2026, changing how teams that had relied on the system sought acceleration off the grid. The change left the front of the motorcycle higher during starts and was associated with more front-wheel lift. The regulation did not immediately prohibit every ride-height mechanism: rear devices remained permitted through the end of the 2026 season, ahead of a broader ban planned for the 2027 technical era. Crash.net reported that KTM was working “to get our strong point back,” since starts had been one of the RC16’s strengths. Teams had to adapt their launch techniques under the revised rules. Bezzecchi was fined €2,000 for improperly executing a practice start, bringing increased scrutiny to procedures that weekend.
The leaderboard shifted repeatedly throughout the day. Early on, Pedro Acosta and Fabio Di Giannantonio traded fastest laps, and Marc Márquez briefly topped the timesheets before crashing at Turn 16. Aprilia’s official riders, Jorge Martín and Estructura Bezzecchi, consistently challenged for the lead, while Bagnaia, set to join Aprilia on a four-year deal, worked to regain pace after his technical issues.
As the session neared its conclusion, most riders returned to the track after the red flag for a final push. No one managed to beat Bezzecchi’s benchmark. The top ten riders from the session will advance directly to Q2, intensifying the competition for qualifying positions.
The practice session came amid a period of impressive team changes and contract announcements in MotoGP. Marc Márquez recently extended his contract with Lenovo Ducati through 2028, while Ducati confirmed Pedro Acosta’s move to the factory team for the next two years. These developments followed a wave of transfers triggered after the Brno test, as detailed in coverage of the Brno circuit's return to the MotoGP calendar. The Aprilia line-up for the 2027 technical cycle will pair Bagnaia with Bezzecchi, who is expected to remain with the manufacturer. Later 2026 grid analysis identified Bezzecchi at Aprilia and Marc Márquez at Ducati as the only two factory riders expected to stay with the same manufacturer.
Bezzecchi’s form carried into the later Australian Grand Prix practice at Phillip Island on October 23, 2026. After contact with Álex Márquez while exiting Turn 3, Bezzecchi ran wide at Turn 4 before crashing, prompting a brief red flag while debris was cleared. He returned to set the fastest time, 1:26.775, on his 21st lap of 23. Marc Márquez was third, 0.126 seconds behind, while Álex Márquez finished sixth after a later Turn 4 crash. The FIM MotoGP stewards investigated the earlier incident and ruled that no further action was warranted.
Assen’s historic circuit continues to challenge riders with its technical demands and unpredictable conditions. The Dutch GP remains a basic event in the MotoGP season, with practice results shaping the grid for both the sprint and basic races. The next session will determine the final qualifying order as teams and riders adjust to the technical regulations after a day marked by crashes and rapid changes in fortune.
