Spaniard converts on Aprilia MotoGP dominance in Assen as Aussie out early

Raul Fernandez converted Aprilia’s dominance into another MotoGP sprint win at Assen, after starting fourth and winning Saturday’s Dutch Grand Prix sprint with a Trackhouse 1-2 over Ai Ogura. Aprilia took a historic feat in qualifying, with all four bikes inside the top four for the first time, and Fernandez capitalized by beating Ogura by 0.362 seconds over 13 laps. Fabio di Giannantonio finished third, preventing a clean podium sweep for Aprilia despite Ducati’s previous sprint advantage at this circuit since 2023. Pole-sitter Jorge Martin led early but slipped to fifth after a decisive contest with teammate and championship leader Marco Bezzecchi, who finished fourth. Bezzecchi extended his championship lead to nine points after serving a ban related to a Czech Grand Prix incident. Fernandez said the team found “something” in sprints, while Ogura set the fastest lap at 1:32.003 with three laps remaining. Marc Marquez was elevated to sixth after Francesco Bagnaia was credited following track limits, and there were retirements including Australia’s Jack Miller.