Marc Márquez and the Ducati Lenovo Team win the Sprint at Assen, Francesco Bagnaia finishes fifth

• Alex Márquez is second with the Ducati machine of the Gresini Racing Team, Fabio Di Giannantonio is fourth (VR46 Racing Team)

The Ducati Lenovo Team has finished the Grand Prix of the Netherlands Sprint at the TT Circuit on the top step of the podium, as Marc Márquez took win number nine of the season in the shorter Saturday race, while Francesco Bagnaia was fifth at the flag.

Márquez got off to a brilliant start from fourth on the grid, moving up to second place at turn one and taking the lead by the end of the opening lap. From that point on, Marc expertly defended first position from his brother Alex. Bagnaia, who started from the front row, lost ground as the race went on and eventually finished fifth, 1.4 seconds away from the podium.

The Ducati Lenovo Team will be back in action tomorrow morning at 9:40 local time (GMT +2) for the warm-up, followed by the tenth Grand Prix race of the season, which gets underway at 14:00 and will run over 26 laps.

Marc Márquez (#93 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 1st
“My goal from the beginning was to get a strong start, push, take the lead, and then defend it, as I wasn’t the fastest rider out there today. I was riding well, my level was acceptable, but physically I wasn’t in top shape to attack, and the overall feeling wasn’t perfect. That said, I still managed to secure another win. I knew Alex was right behind me — I could hear his engine in turns 11 and 12 — but I focused on defending my position under braking. Tomorrow, I’ll need to lose less ground in the sectors that are less favourable for me.”

Francesco Bagnaia (#63 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 5th
“Throughout the weekend, maybe even more so than in recent races, I had a really strong pace in every session leading up to the Sprint. Unfortunately, once again today I couldn’t be as effective or aggressive as I needed to be: I have to brake earlier, and I don’t have enough grip — which means I end up getting passed by other riders. Even though I’m faster than the guys ahead of me, I find myself just watching them, waiting for someone to make a mistake so I can gain a position. It’s frustrating, because I’ve always struggled in the Sprint races since they were introduced.”