Is there anyone in the world faster in time attack mode than Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP)? Probably not. In a fiercely competitive MotoGP Q2 at the Motul Grand Prix of the Netherlands, the Frenchman stormed to another 2025 pole position with a sensational 1:30.651. The gap to second place Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) was just 0.028s, with Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) completing the front row as Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) starts from off the front row for just the second time this season.

Q1 – FERNANDEZ & ALDEGUER SQUEEZE INTO Q2

Having set a time good enough for a provisional top two spot, Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) crashed at Turn 8 to sprinkle some early drama into qualifying. The reigning Moto2 World Champion lost the front a long way into the corner and was all OK, but the pressure was on now to get back to the box and onto his second bike. Meanwhile, teammate Raul Fernandez was sat in P1 and by a decent margin too – the #25 had 0.164s in hand over second place Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol).

With five minutes to go, Ogura was rolling back out of pit lane. But focus was then on another rookie – Fermin Aldeguer. The BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP star climbed to P1 to shove Mir out of the top two, but on his penultimate lap, the HRC rider was responding. Or was he? A mistake in the final sector cost Mir just under a second, so the 2020 World Champion had one more bite at the cherry. As things stood, Aldeguer and Fernandez remained the fastest duo in Q1.
But would it stay that way? Fernandez, Mir and Aldeguer were all setting red sectors, and they all improved! Briefly, Mir snatched P2 but Aldeguer’s final lap was good enough to see him top his compatriot by just 0.004s, with Fernandez heading into Q2 as Q1’s quickest rider with a 1:31.517.

Q2 – YAMAHA BEAT DUCATI, MARC MARQUEZ OFF THE FRONT ROW

That set us up very nicely for the pole position shootout. And making sure he was tagged right onto the back of his teammate was Marc Marquez. The first time to beat belonged to the title race leader, a 1:31.284, but that would of course change as Alex Marquez and then Bagnaia rose to P1. The latter set a 1:31.059 to sit 0.090s ahead of the #93, with Alex Marquez 0.001s behind his brother and championship rival.
Then, Ducati were knocked off top spot by Yamaha and Quartararo. A classy final sector from the Frenchman saw him beat Pecco’s time by 0.012s, and with Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) in P5, the fastest quintet – and three manufacturers – were split by 0.150s heading into the second half of Q2.

What would unfold in the final six minutes then? Bagnaia had shaken off Marc Marquez and this time had Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR) for company, as well as VR46 Academy mate Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team). Pecco wasn’t able to improve on his first attempt on his second outing, but Alex Marquez did. The #73 set the first 1:30 lap time of the weekend to move the goalposts in Q2. A 1:30.811 was the new time to beat if someone else wanted Dutch GP pole position.
And it was beaten. Quartararo was absolutely mega in that final split and the 2021 World Champion was back on provisional pole by 0.028s, because Pecco was able to beat Alex Marquez’s effort too. This meant Marc Marquez was now off the front row for the time being, despite also finding time on his latest attack.

And in terms of the front row and pole position, that was that in Assen. No more improvements were being made and that meant Quartararo was back on pole – what a job from El Diablo as he becomes the third rider in history to achieve 20 poles with Yamaha after Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo. Decent company.

YOUR TOP 12 ON THE GRID

Marc Marquez spearheads Row 2 in P4 and is joined by Bezzecchi and Morbidelli, as rookie Aldeguer earns P7 on the grid, having come through Q1. Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) will start from P8 ahead of lead KTM Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), with Maverick Viñales (Red Bull KTM Tech3), Fernandez and Zarco making up Row 4 for the Dutch GP.

COMING UP: TISSOT SPRINT AT THE CATHEDRAL

Quartararo back on pole, Bagnaia somewhat back, Alex Marquez strong again and Marc Marquez off the front row for just the second time in 2025… We’re set up good and proper for this afternoon’s Tissot Sprint and Sunday’s Grand Prix. Let’s go racing at the TT Circuit Assen.