"Sometimes it’s better that nobody is speaking about you"

MotoGP™ roared back into life at the Cathedral of Speed over the weekend, where a massive Dutch crowd bore witness to an exceptional performance from defending World Champion Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team). The Italian was a class above all weekend in the Netherlands, and completed a hat-trick of wins at his favoured Dutch circuit, while also closing the Championship deficit to Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) to just 10 points.

After a brilliant round of action, let’s delve into some of the biggest Talking Points from the Motul TT Assen.

“Sometimes it’s better that nobody is speaking about you”

Prior to the Dutch TT, the headlines were dominated by the likes of Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) and Jorge Martin, amongst others, after they sealed major moves ahead of next season. Being out of the spotlight for off-track matters suited Bagnaia down to the ground, as he could go about his business undeterred.

“Sometimes it’s better that nobody is speaking about you. Honestly, I was enjoying being at home. I was sure that I would arrive here with a lot of work on my shoulders over these three weeks and arrive here in a better shape. I was already in good shape, but I think right now we improved the preparation, and we are very, very strong. This has helped me, but I really enjoyed being at home!”

“He's clearly the man to beat”

Bagnaia’s brilliance in Assen certainly drew lots of praise, particularly from some of his fiercest on track rivals.

Martin: “I have no excuses today. I can only congratulate Pecco because he was incredible.

“The best thing now is that we have the Sachsenring next because it is a track I really enjoy. One of my favourites…We need to start really strong on Friday to stop him. I think, until now, he has been unstoppable over the last three rounds. But everything can change so, so fast.”

Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™): "He's impressive. What can you say? He's won the Sprint and race in the last two GPs. So of course he's really impressive. He's clearly the man to beat. And as soon as you start to win, you feel the confidence is high and you feel that you are unbeatable. So this is a feeling that all the riders want to get. And right now he has it. So he will be up there for a long time."

Marquez: “Bagnaia was super fast, but Jorge also was extremely fast. Since Montmelo, they are riding super fast. Let’s see if we can be closer, it will be difficult, but my target is to always fight for those top three positions.”

“I let too many riders pass in the end!”

In the battle for fourth position, there were a couple of bizarre moments during the race as rather than defending the position, both Marquez, who received a 16-second penalty for illegal tyre pressure, and Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) decided to allow the other to pass. Post-race, both explained the reasoning behind their strategy.

Marquez: A shame, but the rules are the rules. The only thing we were discussing with the stewards, because as you saw in the race, I started well, but suddenly I saw that at the front there was something strange, and then I saw that the temperature and the tyre pressure were super low, and then I let Diggia pass. This was to control the front pressure"

Di Giannantonio: “The front was a bit cold. I was having some moments in the fast corners so I said with this wind, maybe it’s time to be behind and reheat the front tyre. That’s what I did but then I let too many riders pass in the end!”

“I expected a drop a position penalty for Enea”

Marquez also battled with a hard-charging Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) as the Italian came from 10th on the grid to take his fourth podium of the campaign. However, a clash between the two left the eight-time World Champion saw a difference of opinion between the two, with Marquez believing the #23 was fortunate to avoid a penalty.

Marquez: "Honestly speaking, I expected a drop a position penalty for Enea. If you overtake a rider with contact, and the rider goes off track, I expected him to drop one position. Not a big penalty, but drop one position and come back. But he didn't receive a penalty, and I received a penalty for the tyre temperature...”

Bastianini: “We released the brake, myself and I think also Marc three or four times. I was on the line. He released the brake. I released the brake. We brought the brake. We released the brake. It was too strange. In the end, I was inside, he was outside and tried to close the line on me, but it was a risk for him. Not for me, because I was on the inside.”