Marc fights back: Márquez tops exciting sprint race

Written by: Christopher Conway

Marc Marquez claims victory at the Dutch Grand Prix, holding off his brother Alex Marquez after a poor qualifying this morning.

Racing at the TT: Credit Prima Pramac Racing Team

A Day to forget for Fabio

A day to forget for Fabio Quartararo, after a good start from pole, the Frenchman was hassled and passed by Marquez, who was on a charge after what felt to be a tough day at the office yesterday.

Quartararo's day only got worse as he began to drop down the order being passed by the second Marquez brother in a day, followed by Marco Bezzecchi by lap 3.

Just when you thought things couldn't get much worse for Quartararo, it did. Turn 10, lap 10, the Frenchman slid into the gravel and was out of the race.

With the strong qualifying performance, Quartararo feels he "is losing a lot of time on the straights" during the race, complaining of "no power" throughout the gear range.

Marc Marquez standing on the top step after the sprint: Credit Michelin Motorsport via X

Marc's magic display

On the other side, Marc Marquez, who got a brilliant launch, moved up to second place from the start. Marquez was then able to put pressure on Quartararo, passing him at the final chicane and grabbing the lead.

Alex Marquez then followed the #93 rider after he passed the dropping Quartararo on the same lap. An Alex vs Marc battle ensued, with Alex being much quicker through the rights. Marc was better through Ramshoek, which gave him some margin through the final chicane.

Marc was able to hold onto the lead despite massive pressure from his brother behind, saying, "If you don't make any mistakes, it is easy to hold off the chasing rider," even being on the slower bike.

Despite crashes and a visit to the medical centre, Marc Marquez was able to take the top step on Saturday, holding off his brother, who seemed to be quicker throughout the race.

Aprilia had a mixed day, with Bezzecchi securing a podium spot and staying with the leaders throughout. Whilst Savadori finished back in P16, losing one spot throughout the race.

Bagniaia drops back

Francesco Bagnaia had a poor race, starting from a promising P2, the Italian rider fell through the pack and was passed by his teammate from the start, and shortly after by Alex Marquez. Bagnaia fell from the podium spots when Bezzecchi passed him on lap 2.

Things got worse for the two-time world champion as he was passed by the VR46 of Fabio Di Giannantonio, dropping him to 5th place by the end of lap 6. Making this the first time he has missed out on a podium finish in a sprint at the Cathedral of Speed

Pecco will be hoping the main race tomorrow goes much smoother from P2, aiming for his fourth win in a row a this circuit.

Further back, Brad Binder delivered a strong performance on the KTM, finishing in P10 after starting in P16.

We're set up for what is expected to be an action-packed Sunday here in the North of the Netherlands. If today is anything to go by, we will have a nail-biting race at the front.