Ducati suffer defeat at Assen: what happened to Bagnaia and Márquez in the toughest weekend of the season

Aprilia dominates the Dutch GP, while the Desmosedici goes through a weekend to forget. Between technical problems, penalties and a lack of pace, Ducati loses ground in the fight for the World Championship.

For months Ducati had been the benchmark in MotoGP. At Assen, however, the balance shifted. The Dutch Grand Prix handed the Borgo Panigale manufacturer one of the most complicated weekends of the 2026 season, with no bike on the podium, Francesco Bagnaia forced into retirement and Marc Márquez unable to fight for the leading positions.

While Aprilia monopolised the scene with the historic Trackhouse one-two from Ai Ogura and Raúl Fernández and the third place of Jorge Martín, Ducati found itself for the first time chasing without having immediate technical answers.

An unbeatable Aprilia from practice onwards

The Desmosedici’s difficulties did not begin in the race.

From the very first sessions of the weekend, the TT Circuit of Assen showed an Aprilia that was particularly competitive in fast sweeping corners and in corner speed, characteristics that allowed the RS-GP bikes to consistently occupy the top positions in every session.

Marc Márquez had also admitted before the race that the gap appeared difficult to bridge, acknowledging that the team could only limit the damage on a track that was not suited to the characteristics shown by Ducati during the weekend.

Bagnaia, a weekend to forget

For Francesco Bagnaia, the Dutch Grand Prix turned into a nightmare.

After an already difficult Sprint, also affected by a penalty for track limits, the Italian rider never managed to find the pace of the frontrunners.

Sunday went even worse. A technical problem forced Bagnaia to retire when the comeback already seemed compromised. The double zero from Assen weighs heavily both on morale and on the standings, at an already delicate moment after the announcement of his move to Aprilia from 2027.

Marc Márquez limits the damage, but it is not enough

Marc Márquez also had an unusual weekend.

The Spanish champion never seemed comfortable on the Desmosedici. In the race he mainly tried to collect valuable points, but a penalty for exceeding track limits on the last lap relegated him to seventh place at the flag.

For a rider used to fighting for victory, the Assen result represents a clear step backwards, especially considering the dominance shown by Aprilia throughout the weekend.

Di Giannantonio saves Ducati's honour

The only smile for Borgo Panigale comes from Fabio Di Giannantonio.

The VR46 Racing Team rider finished fourth after a solid race, managing to recover ground despite a long lap penalty. He was the best Ducati rider at the chequered flag, confirming his own progress and limiting the damage for the Italian constructor at least in part.

What does this result mean for the World Championship?

Assen could represent a turning point in the season.

The superiority shown by Aprilia was not episodic, but was seen in every phase of the weekend: qualifying, Sprint and Grand Prix. Ducati will have to analyse carefully what happened, because the technical advantage built up in the first part of the year seems to have been significantly reduced.

With Jorge Martín the new World Championship leader, Ai Ogura now fully involved in the title fight and Trackhouse the standout team, the championship enters its most uncertain phase. For Ducati, the Sachsenring will already be a decisive test: an immediate response will be needed to prove that Assen was only a setback and not the start of a shift in the MotoGP technical balance.