Ducati: MotoGP title fight “wide open” despite “anonymous” Assen

Despite an “anonymous” Assen MotoGP for factory riders Marc Marquez and Pecco Bagnaia, the 2026 title fight is now “wide open”.

That's the verdict of Ducati Corse general manager Gigi Dall'Igna in his latest LinkedIn update.

After winning the previous four races, three for Marquez and one for Bagnaia, neither rider reached the podium at Assen.

VR46's Fabio di Giannantonio claimed Ducati's only podium of the weekend with third in the Sprint, before finishing fourth in Sunday's grand prix.

Meanwhile, Aprilia dominated the event, locking out the top four places on the grid before a Trackhouse one-two in the Sprint and an all-RS-GP podium in the grand prix.

But there was one blot on Aprilia's near-perfect weekend when Marco Bezzecchi crashed out on lap two.

That mistake not only cost Bezzecchi the championship lead to team-mate Jorge Martin but also compressed the standings.

The top eight riders, from Martin to Bagnaia, are now covered by 63 points, less than two full grand prix weekends' worth of points, with just over half the season remaining.

"Anonymous" Assen GP

“For the Factory Team, this turned out to be a substantially anonymous GP, which however was raced with determination, even if off the podium,” Dall'Igna wrote.

“We never really rose to be protagonists like our role has accustomed us to, and which it is demanded of us.

“But our sport has enough for everyone, and after Assen we find ourselves with a wide open [world championship] classification with some new contenders as well.

“A lively [Grand Prix] race that produced some extraordinary results, doubling those of the Sprint Race: my sincere compliments go to Davide Brivio's team.”

di Giannantonio remains Ducati's highest-placed rider in the championship, sitting third and now just 16 points from the lead.

He is also the only Ducati rider who can mathematically leave Sachsenring, the final round before the summer break, as championship leader.

Marc Marquez remains 40 points off the top, while Dall'Igna also praised younger brother Alex for finishing fifth, just behind di Giannantonio, in his first grand prix since his Catalunya injuries despite another heavy crash on Friday.

“Ducati was well represented by an awesome Di Giannantonio and an amazing Alex Marquez, not just because of their finishing spots but for the heart and character they showed with their performances.

“And the same goes for Marc: he only finished seventh in a race contested with pride, in which at one point he was even in third position.

“But this is what Champions are made of: men who fight for every position, against all odds, and who always put on a show.

“It all turned out fine, so to speak, because in the end his gap in the standings remains unchanged, and rightly so, I dare say, given his sporting generosity.

“Not to mention Pecco, forced to retire while in fourth place. He also fought brilliantly as long as he could, and he definitely deserved to keep his streak of positive results going, a result of his renewed fighting spirit.

“Diggia always proves to be fast, and by now this is a foregone conclusion.

“Third in the Sprint Race and fourth on Sunday, he is the best Ducati rider at the finish line and, let's not forget, in the overall standings to boot.

“After a sketchy start, he patiently fought back and in the end showed what it means to believe in it, fighting tooth and nail to wrestle back the position he had before the penalty was imposed. Simply spectacular.

“And Alex Marquez, a veritable warrior. An outstanding performance from him: after all he's been through, finishing right on Diggia's tail is something from another era. A brilliant fifth place that was actually fourth until the last lap.

“So, a run-of-the-mill weekend goes by for us, something we're not quite used to and that shouldn't leave much of a mark, or at least no more than necessary.

“Matter of fact, one must take these days in one's stride with the right level of awareness, never giving up, drawing the right conclusions and simply looking ahead with a positive attitude to the next challenge.”

Ducati is now 22 points behind Aprilia in the constructors' standings, with Ducati Lenovo third behind Aprilia and Trackhouse in the teams' classification.

The German MotoGP at Sachsenring takes place from 10-12 July.