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The Assen TT crowned Pecco Bagnaia the absolute master of the weekend in the Dutch "Cathedral of Speed" for the third consecutive year. The reigning world champion dominated qualifying, sprint, and Sunday's race, ending a perfect weekend, in every respect. The Dutch GP was a success, and one that also raises the Ducati colors high. In fact, on the second step of the podium we find Jorge Martin, who launched himself in pursuit of the Italian rider without, however, matching his pace. The Spanish rider still maintains his leadership position in the championship standings, but the advantage over the Italian has decreased, dropping to ten points. Then there's Enea Bastianini who started 11th but, with a series of overtakes, was able to grab the bronze. Fabio di Giannantonio - the only rider along with Marc Marquez who knew how to interpret the merits and difficulties of his GP23 - also did well. Marc Marquez, who appeared to be in trouble during the race, experienced pressure problems with his front tire, for which he later received a penalty. On the other hand, KTM was below expectations. Acosta struggled in the fray and lost everything at the end. The Japanese constructors continue to work.
Carlo Pernat's comment:
"In the so-called 'cathedral' of motorcycle racing, Ducati totally dominated, with Bagnaia, Martin, and Bastianini on the podium. Here, in Assen, there was no fight against Bagnaia, who's a great rider. He took everything he could and more. Right now he seems unbeatable, while Martin seems to be suffering a bit from losing the official Ducati bike. This may have slowed him down. He's probably 'making do' with this second place, but he's certainly not happy. It was also a wonderful Sunday for Bastianini, who started eleventh but, thanks to many overtakes, he made it onto the podium. His overtakes were the highlights of this Dutch weekend. We also witnessed a great performance by Di Giannantonio, who's a point of contention with offers from VR46 and Yamaha. The decision won't be easy, but he deserves it. His growth since last year, when he risked losing the bike, has been remarkable. He's proven that he's a true rider."
"As for KTM, they seem to be struggling a bit. I hope it's not something technical. Binder and Miller seem to have disappeared. We expected more. Instead, Acosta is still a rookie, doing his best, but he fell towards the end. I honestly expected more from all of them. Aprilia lives thanks to its bikes. After announcing his retirement, Aleix seems less competitive than usual. Vinales also had an anonymous race on a track where Aprilia is usually competitive. Overall, it's been a Ducati festival so far. We're looking forward to the final duel between Bagnaia and Martin towards the end of this season."
"As for third place, it's going to probably be fought between Marquez and Bastianini. Marquez's tire pressure penalty could cost him some points. Rules are rules, although I don't think it's fair. It should be Michelin's job to handle these issues instead of leaving them to the riders and teams. As for Yamaha, we expected more, but it's still going to take time to see results. Finally, as far as Honda is concerned, we're getting used to expecting less. They haven't even slightly improved. As long as they keep their engineers and don't take people on who, working on the track - unlike Yamaha who hired Bartolini - will continue having difficulties."
