Factory Aprilia Defeated by Satellite Trackhouse in Dutch GP Sprint

In the MotoGP Dutch Grand Prix sprint held at Assen, factory team Aprilia suffered a defeat at the hands of satellite squad Trackhouse, which celebrated a historic 1-2 finish. The factory Aprilia team failed to get a single bike on the podium, as championship leader Marco Bezzecchi crossed the finish line two seconds behind race winner Raul Fernandez in fourth place, while 2024 champion Jorge Martin narrowly secured fifth, fending off a challenge from Ducati's Francesco Bagnaia by less than a tenth of a second.

Despite showing improvement after two difficult weekends at Balaton Park and Brno, the factory squad had not fully capitalized on their potential, with Fernandez and Ai Ogura finishing first and second aboard their satellite RS-GPs. Moreover, they also lost out to Fabio di Giannantonio on the best of the six Ducatis in the race.

Bezzecchi started from the front row but struggled early on, entering Turn 9 too fast on the opening lap and dropping back to fifth behind di Giannantonio. He managed to reclaim fourth position by passing teammate Martin midway through the race, but ultimately could not catch the leaders, ending up a second behind di Giannantonio at the finish.

“I struggled a bit more in the first couple of laps,” Bezzecchi reflected. “I've been struggling a bit after the start, and I got overtaken by Raul and Diggia, who were both starting behind me. I lost a couple of positions and couldn't feel super good in the first three laps. These first three laps are critical for a good result.”

After regaining comfort on the bike, Bezzecchi admitted, “I started to feel better and better, but it was a little bit too late.” He pointed out a lack of feeling and excessive movement on the bike during the early laps as main issues affecting his performance.

Conversely, Martin's race saw his pace deteriorate later in the event. After losing the lead to Ai Ogura at Turn 1 but regaining it soon after, he quickly lost ground again, as Fernandez overtook him at the final chicane on lap 3. Eventually, he found himself battling the factory Ducatis of Bagnaia and Marc Marquez in the final laps.

“I was really happy after qualifying to be back in pole position after almost two years. I felt good initially but realized I had no grip and struggled all the way to the end,” Martin summarized. He noted that crew adjustments to his RS-GP did not yield the desired results and led to a feeling of detachment from the rear tire. “We are changing things on the bike, and sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s bad,” he said.

Thus, the factory Aprilia team left Assen with lessons to learn as they looked toward their next challenge.