MotoGP: Dutch Tissot Grand Prix preview

HOT HEADLINES: History to be made as MotoGP heads to Assen.

Twists aplenty in Brno established another adrenaline-fueled weekend on the historic TT circuit Assen.

A place decorated with more history than any other. Cathedral of Speed. Asen. We’ve made the short trip north from Brno to the Tissot Grand Prix of the Netherlands for the All-Time Game, and as we click into gear for round 10 of the season, two dials have been made before a big weekend of MotoGP’s exciting title race.

• Game on: MM93 and Ducati are back in the hunt

101 MotoGP wins ahead of Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team), the 2026 Czech GP win still stands out. It was a great effort to grab those 25 points and a ride that put the world champion back in the frame of the championship chase. 40 points. It was 102 after the Italian GP. Seismic activity that no one expected. The #93 newcomer to Assen admitted he has put pen to paper on a new two-year Ducati deal and is back in the title fight after entering Mugello “done”. That’s why, with the Saxonring on the horizon, Assen feels like a great weekend for Aprilia Racing’s Marco Bezecchi and Jorge Martin to respond.

Marquez is not the only one on the attack in the red corner. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) now has four consecutive P3 Sunday finishes and his first Sprint win of the season in his pocket. Pico finished 13 points clear of teammate Marquez at the circuit, where he won in 2022, 2023 and 2024. Fabio Di Giantantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) continues to lead Ducati in the standings, and the Italian expressed his frustration at his poor performance. But it was a weekend where the VR46 racing star put himself closer to the top.

Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) will return to the Tissot Sprint and Grand Prix in Brno, hoping to continue to develop his strength and ability in a position that requires him. In the other corner of the sky, Fermin Aldeguer was happy with P6 in Brno, but knows he needs to start challenging in qualifying to give himself a better chance of getting more podiums in the coming rounds. And in fluorescent yellow Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) has moved up the order in Assen after p13 in the Czech Republic.

• Response required: Aprilia

It’s fair to say that Brano was tough for the championship frontrunners. After being banned for unsportsmanlike conduct, Bezeci will be looking to put his head down and take the title back to motoring to score big points in the Netherlands. The Italian won the double rostrum at the Cathedral last year and again in 2023, so if there’s a circuit he and Aprilia will be heading to this weekend, Assen could top the list.

Martin’s Sunday was always going to be difficult after a double long lap. P9 was the result, meaning they are now just eight points clear of their Aprilia team-mates at the top of the tree – but now they’re looking over their shoulders at Ducati. Round 10 is huge for Noale’s camp to respond to.

Meanwhile, Ai Ogura (SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team) is hiding. The Japanese star girl is the only seven-time MotoGP world champion to have backed pole in Sprint P2 and then P2 on Sunday. That first victory feels so close. Leave the camera a few meters away, and you’ll come to Raul Fernandez across from the truckhouse garage. P7 on Sunday was a strong effort from the under-weather Spaniard in Brno, who did well to see out the weekend and pick up good points. Fingers crossed #25 is battling against capacity this weekend.

• Looking to make ground: Acosta and KTM

Fidelity problems with Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) were evident at the weekend in Brno and most importantly in the final round of Sunday’s Grand Prix. A P5 result was on – although Acosta wasn’t something to compete with, but a good collection of points – before a technical problem brought the RC16 to a standstill. Assen fielded P4 for Acosta last season, so another podium attack could be on the cards this time around. He and the Austrian factory hope. If their recent problems are ironed out, Acosta has the raw speed to get into the wreckage with Prias and Ducatis – as we’ve seen on numerous occasions.

Unfortunately for KTM, it wasn’t a weekend with much to shout about for Brad Binder or Red Bull KTM Tech3’s Enea Bastianini and Maverick Viñales. Can you find some speed in the famous cathedral grounds?

• Confidence: HRC

Joan Mir’s P5 and Honda HRC Castrol rider Luca Marini’s P8 marked a promising weekend at the Czech Adrenaline Factory. It was Mir’s first since Japan to score points in a sprint and grand prix, and the Italian’s fourth top-10 finish in the last five Sundays. Couple that with another strong weekend at the office for Diogo Moreira (Pro Honda LCR) after the solid Brazilian rookie took his best result, and you have a Honda team that will head into Assen with a little more energy. And, as revealed pre-Chechia, 2013 Asean podium finisher Cal Crutchlow will continue to stand in for the injured Yohan Zarco in the Castrol Honda LCR.

• Looking for upward trends: YAMAHA

A positive for Yamaha in Brno was Toprak Razgatlioglu (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP) scoring more points in P14. Alongside the YZR-M1 coin, Fabio Quattararo’s crash and Alex Rins’ DNF made it another tough Sunday for Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP, with Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP) finishing the Grand Prix in P16. Can Yamaha take a step forward in Asean? It’s a classic position and one that all drivers know well – Razgatliouglu is more experienced here than Brno. And Miller knows what it feels like to win at Cathedral.

Are you ready for more? We’re back in action at the Tissot Grand Prix of the Netherlands, where the TT Circuit never disappoints. Join us this weekend for more MotoGP!

Post MotoGP: Dutch Tissot Grand Prix preview It appeared at first Roadracing World Magazine | Motorcycle riding, racing and technology news.

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