Thoughts by Kate Adams
Prior to coming into the Dutch Grand Prix, there was a whirlwind of silly season news over the spring break. Once the first domino fell (Jorge Martin moving to Factory Aprilia) we knew it was going to be a silly season for the ages. By the end of the racing at the TT Circuit Assen, we had four big-name riders swapping manufacturers for 2025—five if you include Moto2 rider Fermin Aldeguer, who will be moving to a Ducati, although we still do not know which Ducati seat will be his.
@VR46
Satellite team Tech 3 KTM has picked up Ducati departee Enea Bastianini, along with what I consider to be the biggest shock of the season: Maverick Vinales, who is leaving a factory Aprilia bike. I can only think that the Spaniard would like to add a new manufacturer to his list of wins. If he achieves it next year, could Ducati be in his future for 2026? With Vinales' departure, an open seat was left, which VR46 rider Marco Bezzecchi slotted into, giving Aprilia a strong lineup to battle the Ducatis and the KTMs.
Of course, it would be remiss of me not to include two riders who won't be swapping manufacturers but have received promotions to a factory team: Pedro Acosta moving to Factory KTM and Marc Marquez moving to Factory Ducati. All of this before bikes even hit the track this weekend, certainly enough to build up the tension into our first race of this double header. Part way through the weekend we also got some extra sillyness with the news that Prima Pramac racing will not be renewing their partnership with Ducati and instead swapping to Yamaha machinery in 2025.
@Michelin
Moving onto the racing, it was a perfect weekend for Pecco. He was untouchable from FP1 and, aside from morning warm-up, topped every session and took the top spot in both races. An incredibly strong performance from the Italian, who always seems to look stronger in the middle and end of a season. Fellow factory rider Enea Bastianini suffered from another poor qualifying session. However, he was able to recover in both races, with a P4 in the Sprint and a P3 in the Grand Prix.
Prima Pramac Racing's Jorge Martin qualified in second, but slow riding on the racing line saw him collect a three-place grid penalty for the main race. Despite this, he put his best foot forward and limited the damage with a pair of P2 finishes, no doubt leaving him comfortable with his performance at a track where Pecco is so strong. Matching positions were the order of the day at Pramac, with Franco Morbidelli collecting a pair of P9 finishes.
It was a terrible weekend for VR46 rider Marco Bezzecchi, who suffered a series of crashes. He did finish P11 in the Sprint but crashed out of the Grand Prix, ending the weekend without points. Teammate Fabio DiGiannantonio collected a P5 in the Sprint and a P4 in the Grand Prix, marking another weekend of strong results for him.
@Michelin
Gresini Ducati saw Alex Marquez collect a P8 in the Sprint and a P7 in the race, making him the highest-scoring rider in the team after his brother and teammate Marc Marquez crashed out of the Sprint race. On Sunday, a curious incident occurred mid-race where the 8-time world champion let Fabio DiGiannantonio pass him. Post-race, we found out that M. Marquez was struggling with his tire pressure. This came to light in his post-race interview, but it wasn't until four hours after the race that we found out he was under pressure and received a 16-second time penalty, putting him in P10.
Aprilia saw both Aleix Espargaro and wildcard Lorenzo Savadori crash out of the Sprint, with both riders picking up injuries. Neither rider took the start in the Grand Prix, with Espargaro prioritizing recovery for the German GP next weekend. Hopefully, both have a speedy recovery, and we see them back to full health quickly. Success on Saturday was on the other side of the Factory Aprilia garage, with Maverick Vinales taking the final spot on the podium. Sunday was also quite successful, with Vinales picking up a P5.
The satellite team saw Raul Fernandez continuing his strong form. While both Fernandez and teammate Miguel Oliveira finished outside of the points, Sunday saw Oliveira pick up a point with a P15 finish, and Fernandez finish in P8.
@Rob Gray (Polarity Photo)
Factory KTM saw a pair of P6s collected by Brad Binder, with the South African gaining three places from his starting position of P9. Starting further down the grid was his teammate Jack Miller, who qualified in P14. He only managed to gain a single place in the Sprint but was stronger in the Grand Prix, collecting 5 points for a P11 finish.
Pedro Acosta had one of his hardest weekends since becoming a MotoGP rider. Going through Q1, he crashed out at the end of the session, throwing his mechanics into overdrive to get his bike fixed. He was able to qualify in P10, which, given the big crash, was a remarkable performance. However, he was unable to improve on Saturday, finishing outside of the points. Sunday also saw him crash out of P7 on lap 25. A weekend to forget for the rookie. Teammate Augusto Fernandez was able to collect a couple of points with a P14 finish on Sunday.
@HRC
The Japanese manufacturers continue to struggle, with Factory Honda collecting no points this weekend. Joan Mir continues to push the bike over its limit, resulting in him crashing out of the Grand Prix after a P14 finish on Saturday. Luca Marini remains the only rider in the championship without points after a crash on Saturday was followed by a P17 finish on Sunday.
LCR saw Takaaki Nakagami qualify last and finish P18 in the Sprint and P16 in the Race. Teammate Johann Zarco collected points on Sunday with a P13 finish, placing him just behind fellow Frenchman and Factory Yamaha rider Fabio Quartararo, who finished P12 in the Grand Prix and P7 in the Sprint.
Teammate Alex Rins suffered this weekend. Both Saturday and Sunday saw the Yamaha rider crash out. While he escaped injury from the Saturday Sprint, Sunday saw him highside into Turn 1 and land on his right foot and hand. He has a confirmed fracture of the hand and is currently in the hospital awaiting the results of further testing. Hopefully, a speedy recovery awaits the Spaniard.
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