Francesco Bagnaia, the reigning MotoGP world champion, solidified his position at the top of the standings with a dominant victory in the Dutch Grand Prix at Assen on Sunday. The factory Ducati rider held off sprint race winner Marco Bezzecchi to avenge his second-place finish on Saturday.
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With this triumph, Bagnaia extended his lead by 35 points over Jorge Martin and 36 points over Bezzecchi. Adding to the excitement for Aprilia, Aleix Espargaro secured a podium finish, showcasing the team's progress.
The race unfolded similarly to the sprint race on Saturday, with Bezzecchi once again failing to capitalise on his pole position early. Instead, it was KTM's Brad Binder who took an early lead, followed closely by Bagnaia and Bezzecchi. However, Bagnaia swiftly overtook Binder to claim the top spot.
Binder put up a fierce fight this time, maintaining second place for a significant portion of the race, with Bezzecchi trailing behind. Despite the scorching track conditions, Binder chose a soft rear tire, deviating from the medium tire preferred by other front-runners.
It wasn't until the 17th lap that Bezzecchi managed to make a successful pass on Binder. By then, Bagnaia had built a lead of over a second, which increased to nearly one and a half seconds. While Bezzecchi faced pressure from his pursuers, including Binder, Espargaro, and Martin, he managed to retain his position.
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In a crucial turning point, Bagnaia's lap times improved, extending his lead to around 1.5 seconds with just four laps remaining. This proved to be a race-deciding moment, as Bagnaia simply keep a steady pace to secure his revenge against Bezzecchi.
Francesco Bagnaia, the reigning MotoGP world champion,
Bezzecchi, meanwhile, had to keep a close eye on his rivals as the race neared its conclusion. Despite their efforts, Binder, Espargaro, and Martin were unable to mount any last-minute challenges. Espargaro narrowly held onto fourth place, with Martin close behind, although official penalties once again later demoted Binder to fifth due to a track limits violation.
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Fabio Quartararo benefited due to Binder's demotion and encountered a disappointing start, dropping to 12th place on the opening lap. His misfortunes continued when he crashed into Johann Zarco's Pramac Ducati just two laps later, ending his hopes of securing another podium finish.
Jack Miller fell in the first corner of the second lap
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Alex Marquez, who also opted for a soft rear tire, finished sixth, more than 10 seconds behind Martin. Luca Marini initially held fifth place but made a mistake on lap six, causing him to slide down the order and settle for seventh.
Maverick Vinales of Aprilia briefly secured fifth position but unfortunately crashed out at Stekkenwal later on the same lap. Jack Miller's disappointing run continued as he fell at the first corner of the second lap. With his emphatic victory, Bagnaia demonstrated his dominance and bolstered his championship campaign.
