Dutch MotoGP, Assen - Friday Practice Results (2)
| 2023 Dutch MotoGP, Assen - Practice (2) Results | |||||||
| Pos | Rider | Nat | Team | Time/Diff | Lap | Max | |
| 1 | = | Marco Bezzecchi | ITA | Mooney VR46 Ducati (GP22) | 1'32.063s | 28/29 | 311k |
| 2 | ^6 | Jorge Martin | SPA | Pramac Ducati (GP23) | +0.130s | 26/27 | 315k |
| 3 | ^6 | Jack Miller | AUS | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | +0.155s | 27/27 | 307k |
| 4 | ^8 | Francesco Bagnaia | ITA | Ducati Lenovo (GP23) | +0.200s | 24/25 | 311k |
| 5 | ˅3 | Maverick Viñales | SPA | Aprilia Racing (RS-GP23) | +0.245s | 24/26 | 311k |
| 6 | ˅1 | Fabio Quartararo | FRA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +0.278s | 26/26 | 306k |
| 7 | ^3 | Aleix Espargaro | SPA | Aprilia Racing (RS-GP23) | +0.345s | 22/23 | 308k |
| 8 | ^3 | Brad Binder | RSA | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | +0.386s | 25/25 | 312k |
| 9 | ˅3 | Luca Marini | ITA | Mooney VR46 Ducati (GP22) | +0.406s | 23/28 | 313k |
| 10 | ˅7 | Alex Marquez | SPA | Gresini Ducati (GP22) | +0.518s | 22/27 | 314k |
| 11 | ˅7 | Johann Zarco | FRA | Pramac Ducati (GP23) | +0.606s | 24/24 | 309k |
| 12 | ^6 | Raul Fernandez | SPA | RNF Aprilia (RS-GP22) | +0.731s | 26/26 | 307k |
| 13 | ^2 | Miguel Oliveira | POR | RNF Aprilia (RS-GP22) | +0.738s | 24/25 | 311k |
| 14 | ˅7 | Takaaki Nakagami | JPN | LCR Honda (RC213V) | +0.872s | 26/27 | 306k |
| 15 | ^2 | Enea Bastianini | ITA | Ducati Lenovo (GP23) | +0.892s | 23/23 | 311k |
| 16 | = | Franco Morbidelli | ITA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +1.043s | 19/20 | 303k |
| 17 | ˅4 | Augusto Fernandez | SPA | Tech3 GASGAS (RC16)* | +1.117s | 22/22 | 305k |
| 18 | ˅4 | Fabio Di Giannantonio | ITA | Gresini Ducati (GP22) | +1.241s | 20/24 | 307k |
| 19 | ^2 | Marc Marquez | SPA | Repsol Honda (RC213V) | +1.422s | 20/22 | 310k |
| 20 | = | Lorenzo Savadori | ITA | Aprilia Factory (RS-GP23) | +1.432s | 25/25 | 308k |
| 21 | ˅2 | Stefan Bradl | GER | LCR Honda (RC213V) | +1.438s | 24/24 | 307k |
| 22 | = | Iker Lecuona | SPA | Repsol Honda (RC213V) | +1.657s | 23/25 | 304k |
| 23 | = | Jonas Folger | GER | Tech3 GASGAS (RC16) | +2.337s | 22/24 | 304k |
* Rookie
Key:
^X Rider is X positions higher than Practice 1.
= Rider is same position as Practice 1.
˅X Rider is X positions lower than Practice 1.
Official Assen MotoGP records:
Best lap:
Francesco Bagnaia ITA Ducati 1m 31.504s (2022)
Fastest race lap:
Aleix Espargaro SPA Aprilia 1m 32.500s (2022)
Marco Bezzecchi completes a Friday practice double on day one of the 2023 Dutch MotoGP at a sunny Assen.
Jorge Martin and Jack Miller completed the top three, with Fabio Quartararo also among those to confirm direct access to Qualifying 2.
But Johann Zarco and Marc Marquez were left outside the top ten and will need to take part in Saturday's Qualifying 1, the already sore Marquez falling in the final minutes on his way to 19th.
With riders working on set-up and race pace for much of the hour, Quartararo and Yamaha made a rare 2023 appearance at the head of the timesheets in the middle stages, before Maverick Vinales moved to the top for Aprilia.
Team-mate Aleix Espargaro, who delivered one of his best rides after an early collision with Quartararo at Assen last year, and Vinales then kept Aprilia quickest on new soft rubber as the final ten minutes approached.
Pramac Ducati's Sachsenring double-winner Martin got the better of the RS-GPs, but it was VR46 Ducati's Bezzecchi who was closest to his own 1m 32.246s morning lap as the final five minutes began.
Bezzecchi, Martin and Miller then all went on to dip under Bezzecchi's P1 best on their final laps.
Frustrated at his Ducati twitching nervously through the fast corners this morning reigning world champion, title leader and last year's winner Francesco Bagnaia suffered more instability in the afternoon before vaulting up the order to fourth.
Vinales settled into fifth with Quartararo, who like team-mate Franco Morbidelli tried fins fitted to the rear seat of his Yamaha this afternoon, in sixth ahead of Aleix Espargaro (held up by Morbidelli in the final minutes), KTM's Brad Binder, VR46 Ducati's Luca Marini and Gresini Ducati's Alex Marquez.
Classified a cautious 21st this morning, a sore Marc Marquez saved a rear slide before moving to 16th place for Repsol Honda. But when Marquez then tried to improve by chasing Vinales in the final minutes, he gracefully low-sided into the gravel at turn 3.
The eight-time world champion stood and walked away without giving his RC213V a second glance.
Rookie Augusto Fernandez fell for the second time today, at Turn 1.
| 2023 Dutch MotoGP, Assen - Practice (1) Results | ||||||
| Pos | Rider | Nat | Team | Time/Diff | Lap | Max |
| 1 | Marco Bezzecchi | ITA | Mooney VR46 Ducati (GP22) | 1'32.246s | 19/20 | 313k |
| 2 | Maverick Viñales | SPA | Aprilia Racing (RS-GP23) | +0.314s | 19/20 | 311k |
| 3 | Alex Marquez | SPA | Gresini Ducati (GP22) | +0.368s | 19/20 | 309k |
| 4 | Johann Zarco | FRA | Pramac Ducati (GP23) | +0.516s | 16/16 | 307k |
| 5 | Fabio Quartararo | FRA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +0.558s | 18/18 | 305k |
| 6 | Luca Marini | ITA | Mooney VR46 Ducati (GP22) | +0.635s | 19/19 | 311k |
| 7 | Takaaki Nakagami | JPN | LCR Honda (RC213V) | +0.735s | 20/20 | 307k |
| 8 | Jorge Martin | SPA | Pramac Ducati (GP23) | +0.821s | 17/20 | 310k |
| 9 | Jack Miller | AUS | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | +0.841s | 20/20 | 308k |
| 10 | Aleix Espargaro | SPA | Aprilia Racing (RS-GP23) | +1.175s | 19/19 | 307k |
| 11 | Brad Binder | RSA | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | +1.240s | 18/19 | 310k |
| 12 | Francesco Bagnaia | ITA | Ducati Lenovo (GP23) | +1.252s | 14/17 | 310k |
| 13 | Augusto Fernandez | SPA | Tech3 GASGAS (RC16)* | +1.342s | 17/18 | 304k |
| 14 | Fabio Di Giannantonio | ITA | Gresini Ducati (GP22) | +1.387s | 16/18 | 308k |
| 15 | Miguel Oliveira | POR | RNF Aprilia (RS-GP22) | +1.427s | 6/18 | 306k |
| 16 | Franco Morbidelli | ITA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +1.647s | 14/18 | 303k |
| 17 | Enea Bastianini | ITA | Ducati Lenovo (GP23) | +1.656s | 7/15 | 311k |
| 18 | Raul Fernandez | SPA | RNF Aprilia (RS-GP22) | +1.695s | 17/18 | 306k |
| 19 | Stefan Bradl | GER | LCR Honda (RC213V) | +1.743s | 14/20 | 305k |
| 20 | Lorenzo Savadori | ITA | Aprilia Factory (RS-GP23) | +1.809s | 19/20 | 310k |
| 21 | Marc Marquez | SPA | Repsol Honda (RC213V) | +1.865s | 17/19 | 306k |
| 22 | Iker Lecuona | SPA | Repsol Honda (RC213V) | +2.117s | 21/21 | 304k |
| 23 | Jonas Folger | GER | Tech3 GASGAS (RC16) | +2.495s | 15/16 | 306k |
* Rookie
Official Assen MotoGP records:
Best lap:
Francesco Bagnaia ITA Ducati 1m 31.504s (2022)
Fastest race lap:
Aleix Espargaro SPA Aprilia 1m 32.500s (2022)
Marco Bezzecchi, Maverick Vinales and Alex Marquez set the pace during opening practice for the 2023 Dutch MotoGP at Assen.
Bezzecchi, who took his first MotoGP podium at Assen last season, was quickest for much of the session on his VR46 Ducati, culminating in a 1m 32.246s best with a new soft rear on his penultimate lap.
Vinales, riding with a fresh Aprilia engine after powerplant problems throughout the German weekend, was 0.314s behind with Gresini Ducati's Marquez snatching a lap third ahead of Johann Zarco, who rebounded from a fast fall.
A limping Fabio Quartararo, who fractured his left toe in a recent jogging accident, featured in the top three on his way to fifth. The Monster Yamaha rider's fitness will be reviewed by MotoGP doctors after the session.
LCR's Takaaki Nakagami was the top Honda in seventh, behind Bezzecchi's team-mate Luca Marini. Sachsenring winner Jorge Martin, KTM's Jack Miller and Aprilia's Aleix Espargaro completed the top ten.
Title leader Francesco Bagnaia ran wide several times and was visibly unhappy with his twitchy GP23 on track and in the pits. Just tenth heading into the closing stages, Ducati's reigning champion dropped to twelfth.
Riding with sore ribs, thumb and ankle from last weekend's Sachsenring highside, Marc Marquez completed his first Assen laps since 2021 in 21st place, having been near the bottom of the timesheets throughout the session. Marquez had one Kalex and one HRC chassis available.
Rookie Augusto Fernandez was the first faller of the weekend, a lowside from his GASGAS Tech3. RNF Aprilia's Miguel Oliveira fell into Turn 1 while Ducati Lenovo's Enea Bastianini sent his GP23 barrel-rolling through the gravel at Turn 10.
Pramac's Zarco then suffered the fastest tumble of the morning when he bailed off after losing the front through the fearsome penultimate corner, sending his machine skimming across the gravel. Zarco then got a lift back to the pits from Miller.
After withdrawing from last Sunday’s German MotoGP race, following a fifth fall of the weekend, causing thumb and rib fractures and a hard knock to the ankle in warm-up, Marc Marquez is back on track at Assen.
Team-mate Joan Mir remains sidelined by hand injuries from Mugello and is replaced by Honda World Superbike rider Iker Lecuona, who spent the 2020 and 2021 seasons in MotoGP with Tech3 KTM. Lecuona previously joined Repsol Honda at Jerez this year, in place of Marquez.
LCR’s Alex Rins is absent after fracturing his leg at Mugello, and replaced by HRC test rider Stefan Bradl. KTM test rider Jonas Folger continues in place of Pol Espargaro at GASGAS Tech3.
Monster Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo sprained his left ankle and fractured a toe in a jogging accident while training in Amsterdam this week. Aleix Espargaro continues to ride with right heel and rib fractures from his bicycle crash at Mugello earlier this month.
Assen is the final event before the MotoGP summer break, albeit with 12 of the 20 rounds still to go.
