Aprilia lock out front row at Assen as Jorge Martín grabs first pole since 2024; Marc Márquez down in seventh

Aprilia's Assen masterclass

The Noale factory delivered a qualifying statement at the Cathedral of Speed, placing all four of its bikes on the first two rows. Jorge Martín secured pole with a 1:30.812, his first preferred starting spot since Australia 2024 (616 days ago). The Spaniard was joined on the front row by Ai Ogura, just 0.011 seconds adrift, and Marco Bezzecchi, a further 0.022 behind. Raúl Fernández took fourth, though a faster lap was ruled invalid for exceeding track limits.

I didn't feel like I could get pole, but when I put on the new tyres I went into attack mode.

Ducati's challenge begins on row two. Pecco Bagnaia qualified fifth, Fabio Di Giannantonio sixth and Marc Márquez seventh, his worst grid result of the 2026 season. Márquez had two early Q2 times deleted at Turn 13, leaving him eleventh before a late push clawed back a few places. He had predicted a sixth- or seventh-place starting spot and admitted the track's predominantly right-hand corners did not suit him.

Medical blows for the Márquez family

Alex Márquez endured a punishing return to action. Already recovering from a double fracture of the right clavicle and a cervical vertebra injury sustained at Montmeló, the Gresini rider crashed heavily at Turn 11 during Friday practice. He walked away without fractures but suffered a severe contusion to his right shoulder and abrasions on his left side. Hours earlier he had fallen at Turn 5. The team confirmed he is fit to continue but opted to skip Q2 to preserve his still-fragile body, starting 12th.

Alex has no fractures and will undergo another medical check on Saturday morning.

The sight of his younger brother being helped off the track visibly rattled Marc Márquez, who was on track at the time. Television cameras caught him pounding his Ducati's fuel tank with a closed fist in frustration.

Aldeguer out with fractured vertebra

Fermín Aldeguer will take no further part in the Dutch GP weekend. The 21-year-old Gresini rider was declared unfit after medics diagnosed a fracture of the T7 vertebra following a high-speed fall on Friday. His team stated that the injury will be reassessed in the coming days.

Championship picture

Bezzecchi tops the standings, but his lead over Martín has been cut to just 8 points. Marc Márquez, who had trailed by more than a hundred points, is now only 40 back after consecutive victories at Balaton Park and Brno. The points gap between the top three is narrower than it has been all season.