French rider Fabio Quartararo faces another milestone as he pursues major prizes, building a solid lead in MotoGP and arriving at the Assen TT circuit, a track long regarded as a friend by racers. The Dutch Grand Prix has been a staple of the world championship since 1949.
Quartararo has claimed two straight wins and is on the podium three more times this season, lifting the Netherlands into a 34-point lead over his nearest rival, Spaniard Aleix Espargaró on the Aprilia RS-GP.
To these results, add Fabio Quartararo, the most recent Assen TT winner, alongside another Yamaha rider, who despite early-season criticism and doubt, remains a potent challenger. The Yamaha YZR-M1 shows strong reliability that rivals like Ducati and Espargaró’s Aprilia have not matched, underscoring the strength of the Iwata machine.
The question remains how Quartararo’s YZR-M1 will perform at Assen, a circuit over four and a half kilometers long (4,542 meters) renowned for its technical demands and varied accelerations and corners. It could prove to be the stage where Yamaha demonstrates its true capability.
This is how the MotoGP classification stood after the German GP
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Once again, Aleix Espargaró sits ahead of Quartararo, with his Catalonia setback and a careful fourth place in Germany narrowing the gap to the French rider, who is closely followed by Pecco Bagnaia and his Ducati Desmosedici GP22 after a second straight zero in Germany.
Bagnaia began the season as a title contender, but his best moments have been rare, including victories in Spain and Italy. His best results, fifth and eighth, reflect a performance shy of what would typically be expected from a world-title challenger.
In the standings, two more Ducati riders, Frenchman Johann Zarco in third and Italian Enea Bastianini, are near the top, having commanded the order at times.
Quartararo remains the benchmark, with rivals such as the leading Ducati pilots – Jorge Martín and Enea Bastianini – positioned to challenge for second place on the team. Alongside Bagnaia, the Aprilia pairing of Aleix Espargaró and Maverick Viñales, as well as Suzuki’s Joan Mir and Alex Rins, keep the battle tight. Repsol Honda and KTM have yet to display consistent top-tier form.
Maverick Viñales retired at Sachsenring when he and Aleix Espargaró were contesting the podium; a rear suspension failure in the low position forced him out of the race.
This raises hope that Viñales is closing in on full competitiveness with the Aprilia RS-GP, which would boost Noale’s position by placing both riders among MotoGP’s elite.
Fabio Quartararo, winner of MotoGP 2022 at Sachsenring
The quality of Joan Mir and Alex Rins remains evident, even as Suzuki ends its season with a withdrawal. Rins missed the German race due to a left wrist issue, and Mir pushed hard to be among the fastest, aiming to return to form in Assen and chase a podium, perhaps victory, on a track that has earned legendary status in the sport.
Honda and Repsol find a different scenario. Pol Espargaró has struggled for results, while Stefan Bradl continues in a test role, dealing with cooling and temperature challenges for the RC 213 V. Nakagami’s recent crashes have kept him grounded, and Alex Márquez faces persistent performance issues tied to the bike’s setup.
KTM’s brightest prospect, Brad Binder from South Africa, sits in the provisional standings with Miguel Oliveira, but neither is yet positioned to mount a serious title challenge unless conditions dramatically shift, reminiscent of the dramatic lessons from the Mandalika circuit in Indonesia.
Vietti and Garcia Dols
Ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix, Celestino Vietti (Kalex) and Sergio García Dols (GasGas) arrive with a clear need to push their position in the standings.
Vietti has three wins and has narrowed his lead in the standings to a slim margin against Ai Ogura (Kalex) and Augusto Fernández (Kalex), who have both shown consistent form in recent rounds.
The Italian racer started the year strong, but a few stumbles have trimmed his advantage. Ogura, Fernández, and Aron Canet, who faced a setback after a prior crash, have kept themselves in close pursuit, staying within striking distance of the leader.
Sergio García Dols continues to top Moto3, though his pace has been challenged by teammate Izan Guevara, who dominated Sachsenring practice and won the race with notable efficiency. Guevara will aim to replicate that performance in the Netherlands to preserve his momentum.
The Moto3 title race also features Dennis Foggia, who earned a win earlier in the season and entered as a favorite, though his form has become more erratic as the season progressed, leaving the title chase more open than expected.