Qualifying report
MotoGP Dutch GP
MotoGP Dutch GP: Bezzecchi leads all-Ducati front row in qualifying
VR46 rider Marco Bezzecchi continued his dominance of the Dutch TT weekend by snatching pole position in qualifying at Assen today.
Richard Asher
Edited: Jun 24, 2023, 10:45 AM
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Having been fastest in all three practice sessions, he beat reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia and team-mate Luca Marini as Ducati sealed the front row.
First up, though, Johann Zarco and Miguel Oliveira, arguably the favourites to make it through from Q1, did exactly that as they topped the session and joined the big guns in Q2.
Zarco’s time of 1m31.993s, set in the early part of Q1, survived through to the chequered flag, with only Oliveira’s 1m32.087s lap coming within a tenth following the mid-session lull.
A number of potential late attacks by others were disturbed by Marc Marquez falling with just a minute to go, which brought out yellow flags in sector one.
The troubled Honda rider was involved in a nasty misunderstanding with Ducati’s Enea Bastianini. He ran into the back of the Italian, who in turn was trying to stay out of everybody’s way following a big moment of his own.
The fall means Marquez will start 17th on the grid.
The Pramac Ducati team had a terrible start to Q2, with Zarco wheeling an apparently hobbled bike away from the track and Martin losing the rear end at the Turn 5 hairpin behind the pits. It was a convenient spot to fall, as the evidently uninjured Spaniard was able to get back to the garage and jump on another bike. Zarco was also able to continue the session.
By the 10-minute mark, with most contenders in the pits following a first run, Marco Bezzecchi had set a benchmark time at 1m31.874s. His nearest challenger at that point was Bagnaia, almost exactly two tenths behind and also having run a hard front tyre.
As the riders headed back out for a final flurry of laps, it was Fabio Quartararo who laid down the first serious time with a 1m31.770s.
Bezzecchi then hit back with a 1m31.472s with four minutes on the clock – a time that would prove good enough for pole.
Bagnaia came closest to the VR46 Ducati with a 1m31.704s time moments later, but then ran off the track and ultimately failed to improve.
Marini set a 1m31.630s lap to complete the front row, but then ended his session in the gravel after dropping his VR46 Ducati.
Once again, that meant yellow flags were a feature at the end of the session, helping Bezzecchi to keep his place at the top.
Yamaha’s Quartararo delivered on the promise of some decent pace in FP3 by coming in fourth-fastest, a superb starting position in the context of the team’s year.
Brad Binder was fifth for KTM, with the Aprilia pairing of Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Vinales next up.
The Pramac Ducatis had to make do with eighth and tenth positions following their early strife. They will be split on the grid by Gresini Ducati's Alex Marquez.
Oliveira will start 11th, and Jack Miller an unusually poor 12th on the factory KTM. The Australian wasn’t able to improve on his first run in the 15-minute session.
MotoGP Dutch GP - Q2 results:
Cla Rider Bike Time Gap 1 Marco Bezzecchi
Ducati 1'31.472 2 Francesco Bagnaia
Ducati 1'31.533 0.061 3 Luca Marini
Ducati 1'31.630 0.158 4 Fabio Quartararo
Yamaha 1'31.671 0.199 5 Brad Binder
KTM 1'31.704 0.232 6 Aleix Espargaro
Aprilia 1'31.812 0.340 7 Maverick Viñales
Aprilia 1'31.837 0.365 8 Johann Zarco
Ducati 1'31.881 0.409 9 Alex Marquez
Ducati 1'31.898 0.426 10 Jorge Martin
Ducati 1'32.170 0.698 11 Miguel Oliveira
Aprilia 1'32.174 0.702 12 Jack Miller
KTM 1'32.715 1.243 View full results
MotoGP Dutch GP - Q1 results:
Cla Rider Bike Time Gap 1 Johann Zarco
Ducati 1'31.993 2 Miguel Oliveira
Aprilia 1'32.087 0.094 3 Fabio Di Giannantonio
Ducati 1'32.185 0.192 4 Takaaki Nakagami
Honda 1'32.497 0.504 5 Franco Morbidelli
Yamaha 1'32.530 0.537 6 Raúl Fernández
Aprilia 1'32.671 0.678 7 Marc Marquez
Honda 1'32.672 0.679 8 Enea Bastianini
Ducati 1'32.844 0.851 9 Lorenzo Savadori
Aprilia 1'33.008 1.015 10 Stefan Bradl
Honda 1'33.040 1.047 11 Augusto Fernandez
KTM 1'33.082 1.089 12 Iker Lecuona
Honda 1'33.088 1.095 13 Jonas Folger
KTM 1'33.300 1.307 View full results
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