Spanish motorcycle road racer Marc Marquez extended his dominance in the MotoGP sprint races this season with a hard-fought win at the Dutch Grand Prix on Saturday, overcoming two earlier crashes in practice and admitting he couldn’t have endured another fall.
The 32-year-old Spaniard, who leads the world championship standings, started from the second row but wasted little time in asserting control on his Ducati.
He powered ahead to secure his ninth sprint race victory in 10 outings this season, reinforcing his commanding title position.
His younger brother, Alex Marquez, gave Ducati-Gresini a double podium by finishing second, while Italy’s Marco Bezzecchi, fresh from his win at the British Grand Prix, took third place for Aprilia.
Reigning double world champion Francesco Bagnaia, riding for Ducati, could only manage fourth, slipping further behind in the title race.
“I didn’t expect to win today starting from the second row, but I had a brilliant launch and focused entirely on avoiding mistakes,” said Marquez. “I’m honestly relieved—I don’t think my body could have coped with another crash.”
Fabio Quartararo, who claimed pole position for Sunday’s main race, suffered disappointment in the sprint. The French Yamaha rider, 2021 world champion, was running in fourth before crashing out just four laps from the finish, continuing his streak of failing to convert pole positions into wins this season.
“I’ll be using fresh tyres tomorrow, and the warmer weather could help,” said Quartararo, hopeful of a turnaround in the grand prix.
Bagnaia, who was aiming for a fourth consecutive victory at the famed Assen circuit—nicknamed the ‘Cathedral of Speed’—will look for improvements ahead of Sunday’s race. While Marquez showed superior pace, his Ducati struggled with rear grip, and he admitted to feeling uneasy through the third sector.
“I found it tricky, especially at turn 11,” Marquez revealed.
With the win, Marquez increased his championship tally to 282 points, now sitting 43 points clear of his brother Alex. Bagnaia, meanwhile, is now 117 points adrift in the title race.
