2022 Dutch MotoGP, Assen – Full Qualifying Results

* Rookie

Official Assen MotoGP records:
Best lap:
Marc Marquez SPA Honda 1m 33.617s (2015)
Fastest race lap:
Fabio Quartararo FRA Yamaha 1m 32.869s (2021)

Francesco Bagnaia helps put his Sachsenring misery behind him by conquering pole position for the 2022 Dutch MotoGP at Assen, ahead of Fabio Quartararo and Jorge Martin.

With rain clouds gathering overhead, Martin set the tone for a frantic session with a new lap record on his first flying lap while final practice leader Quartararo took a trip through the gravel.

Martin, Quartararo and Bagnaia formed the provisional front row by the mid-session tyre change, the Pramac Ducati rider holding pole until Bagnaia blasted 0.204s under the young Spaniard.

A fall for Martin at the Turn 5 hairpin blunted his hopes of retaliation, with Jack Miller then dropping his Desmosedici at the same corner.

Bagnaia’s pole was effectively confirmed when Quartararo, having moved into second, was unseated from his M1 during his final lap, leaving the world champion 0.116s adrift while Martin claimed his first front-row since Texas.

Rookie Marco Bezzecchi was an excellent fourth ahead of Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro – frustrated at yellow flags – and Miller, who apologised to Maverick Vinales after the session following a near-miss in the closing stages as he rode back after the fall. It remains to be seen if Miller will face a second race penalty in a row.

Johann Zarco, Miguel Oliveira and Alex Rins will form row three.

Red Bull KTM team-mates Brad Binder and Oliveira reached Q2 by leading Qualifying 1, while Suzuki’s Joan Mir (14th) and Gresini Ducati’s Enea Bastianini (16th) were among those that failed to progress beyond Qualifying 1.

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Fabio Quartararo starts the Dutch TT at Assen, the final event before the MotoGP summer break, holding a 34-point lead over Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro and 61-point advantage over Pramac Ducati’s Johann Zarco.

That means, whatever happens on Sunday, the Yamaha star will remain at the head of the world championship table during the holidays, but the young Frenchman would no doubt love to close the opening ‘half’ with a repeat of last year’s Assen victory.

While Quartararo has built up breathing room at the top, the likes of Gresini Ducati’s Enea Bastianini (-72 points) and especially factory Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia have suffered badly in recent rounds and will be desperate to steady the ship with a podium return in The Netherlands.

A dark horse could be Espargaro’s team-mate Maverick Vinales, who finished second to then team-mate Quartararo (from pole position) at Assen last season and arrives fresh from his best race showing on the RS-GP, until hitting ride height problems in Germany.

Franco Morbidelli will have a long lap penalty for the race after twice riding slowly on the racing line in Friday practice, after having received a verbal warning for the same offence at Sachsenring.

Alex Rins is returning to action after being forced to abandon a comeback from his fractured wrist at Sachsenring last weekend. However, after severe pain from his injured ribs on Friday, Pol Espargaro has withdrawn from the remainder of the Assen event.

Meanwhile, the notorious Assen weather is set to keep riders and teams on their toes throughout the weekend.

Friday 24 June

8am-8.40am – Moto3 Free Practice 1

8.55am-9.40am – MotoGP Free Practice 1

9.55am-10.35am – Moto2 Free Practice 1

12.15pm -12.55pm – Moto3 Free Practice 2

1.10pm-1.55pm – MotoGP Free Practice 2

2.10pm-2.50pm – Moto2 Free Practice 2

Saturday 25 June

8am-8.40am – Moto3 Free Practice 3

8.55am-9.40am – MotoGP Free Practice 3

9.55am-10.35am – Moto2 Free Practice 3

11.35am-11.50am – Moto3 Qualifying 1

12pm-12.15pm – Moto3 Qualifying 2

12.30-1pm – MotoGP Free Practice 4

1.10pm-1.25pm – MotoGP Qualifying 1

1.35pm-1.50pm – MotoGP Qualifying 2

2.10pm-2.25pm – Moto2 Qualifying 1

2.35pm-2.50pm – Moto2 Qualifying 2

Sunday 26 June

8am-8.10am – Moto3 warm-up

8.20am-8.30am – Moto2 warm-up

8.40am-9am – MotoGP warm-up

10am – Moto3 race

11.20am – Moto2 race

1pm – MotoGP race

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