Martín set the pace in Assen, taking his first pole position of the MotoGP season with a time of 1:30.812. Aprilia filled the top four spots on the grid in Dutch Grand Prix qualifying. Estructura Bezzecchi and Ai Ogura completed the front row, showing the team's strength in the championship fight.
The session had its share of drama. Raúl Fernández initially looked set for pole, but officials deleted his fastest lap after he exceeded track limits at turn 18. That gave Martín his chance, and he made the most of it with a near-flawless lap, edging Bezzecchi by just 41 thousandths of a second. Bezzecchi missed pole but was pleased with his performance and his team's work. Ogura pointed to his advantage in the first sector over the official Aprilia bikes.
Marc Márquez endured a difficult qualifying session, finishing seventh after several laps were invalidated for track-limit violations. It was his lowest starting position of the season for Ducati. Pecco Bagnaia also missed the top three by 77 thousandths of a second. Pedro Acosta's session ended early when mechanical problems struck his KTM. He could not improve on seventh place after the bike failed in turn 12.
After a morning check-up, the MotoGP medical team cleared Álex Márquez to continue racing, but he chose to skip Q2 and will start twelfth. Franco Morbidelli also failed to advance to Q2, despite improving his times in the final moments of Q1. Honda secured the last two Q2 spots through Quartararo and Joan Mir. Quartararo set a lap of 1:31.271.
Practice incidents added to the day's complications. Fermín Aldeguer suffered a heavy crash that fractured his T7 vertebra and ruled him out of the Grand Prix. Gresini team manager Michele Masini said Aldeguer would travel to Madrid for further medical evaluation. The Spaniard missed the rest of the Dutch weekend, along with the subsequent Grands Prix in Germany and Britain. A winter fracture to his left femur had already forced him to miss preseason testing and the Thai Grand Prix.
High temperatures and frequent practice crashes made the weekend less predictable, with Jorge Martín and Álex Márquez among the riders who fell. Aldeguer's injury also had consequences beyond Assen: his later absences required replacement arrangements, including Iker Lecuona stepping in for him at the Australian Grand Prix.
With the grid set for the season's tenth sprint race, Aprilia's dominance and problems for basic Ducati riders set up a tense contest. The qualifying shake-up came after a week in which Spanish sports media also highlighted the mutual respect between leading journalists, including Iñaki Gabilondo and Carlos Alsina, in coverage of their careers (see more on their influence in Spanish radio).
Aprilia's strength at Assen continued on race day. Ai Ogura won for Trackhouse Aprilia, while Raúl Fernández took second. Martín completed the podium in third. Ogura scored 25 points, nine more than Martín's 16; Fernández earned 20. Ogura's victory was his first in MotoGP and Japan's first premier-class Grand Prix win since Makoto Tamada in 2004. The 2024 Moto2 world champion joined Trackhouse Aprilia for his MotoGP debut in 2025. His Assen win also showed the competitiveness of Aprilia's satellite operation: both Trackhouse riders finished ahead of the factory team's championship contender.
Assen's circuit, known for its rapid changes of direction, has historically suited agile bikes such as the Aprilia RS-GP. Aprilia has improved steadily this season, with every bike finishing in the top ten during practice. The Dutch GP weekend showed the team's depth across its factory and satellite entries, while mechanical setbacks and track-limit penalties reshaped the contest for other contenders. The sprint and basic race added further stakes as the season reached its midpoint.
