Why factory Aprilia team lost to satellite Trackhouse outfit in Assen MotoGP sprint

The factory Aprilia team suffered a direct setback in the MotoGP Dutch Grand Prix sprint at Assen as its satellite squad Trackhouse outperformed it, with both Marco Bezzecchi and Jorge Martin finishing outside the winning run. Bezzecchi, championship leader, crossed the line fourth, two seconds behind sprint winner Raul Fernandez, while Martin defended his position against Francesco Bagnaia’s Ducati by less than a tenth of a second to take ninth or better and complete the top-10. The sprint results were an improvement after two difficult weekends in Balaton Park and Brno, but the factory team still fell short: Fernandez and Ai Ogura finished first and second for Trackhouse on their RS-GPs. In the Ducati count, the Trackhouse pairing also beat five other Aprilia stories and lost to Fabio di Giannantonio in the overall best-of-six Ducati mix. Bezzecchi dropped to fifth on lap one after entering Turn 9 too hot, while Martin’s early lead switch after Turn 1 was followed by a fading pace after Fernandez passed him at the final chicane on lap 3.