Raúl Fernández wins Dutch GP sprint as Trackhouse seal historic 1-2; Márquez sixth after Bagnaia penalty
Raúl Fernández stormed from fourth on the grid to win the Dutch Grand Prix sprint on Saturday, leading teammate Ai Ogura across the line for Trackhouse’s first MotoGP sprint one-two, while pole-sitter Jorge Martin slipped to fifth after an intense intra-team battle with Marco Bezzecchi.
Fernández's charge
Fernández, starting from fourth, took only four laps to carve through the leading group. After Ogura briefly snatched the lead from Martin at the start, the Madrid rider dispatched Di Giannantonio and then Martin to assume control on lap 4. From there he stretched an advantage that reached 0.8 seconds by lap 8 and never looked threatened.
I am very happy, it is my second sprint win this year. Last year we didn't believe too much in the sprint, but we have found something and we are strong.
Trackhouse milestone
The result delivered the American-owned satellite Aprilia squad its first-ever sprint 1-2. Ogura crossed the line 0.362 seconds behind his teammate, confirming the team's dramatic rise from the lower reaches of the constructors' table.
- Martin leads from pole; Ogura briefly takes the lead before Martin reclaims it.
- Lap 4: Fernández overtakes Di Giannantonio and Martin to take the lead.
- Lap 8: Bezzecchi passes Martin for fourth; Fernández extends lead to 0.8 seconds.
- Finish: Fernández wins by 0.362s over Ogura; Di Giannantonio third; Bagnaia penalised, Márquez inherits sixth.
The factory Aprilia battle
While the Trackhouse riders celebrated, the works Noale duo of Bezzecchi and Martin were locked in a scrappy contest for fourth. Bezzecchi eventually got the better of the pole-sitter, who had to lift mid-corner to avoid a collision. Martin finished fifth, 9 points adrift of his teammate in the championship standings.
Ducati's mixed fortunes
Di Giannantonio took third as the highest-placed Ducati. The factory pair of Francesco Bagnaia and Marc Márquez swapped positions several times before Bagnaia crossed the line sixth, but a track-limits penalty on the final lap dropped the Italian to seventh and promoted Márquez to sixth. Márquez now trails championship leader Bezzecchi by 43 points.
New regulations
Saturday's sprint was the first held under MotoGP’s ban on front start devices, a rules change that added an extra variable to the opening laps. Fermín Aldeguer was declared unfit after fracturing a vertebra in a Friday crash and did not start.
