Latest news with #Assen
Reuters
29-06-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Angry Marc Marquez slams critics questioning brother Alex's racing hunger
ASSEN, Netherlands, June 29 (Reuters) - Ducati's Marc Marquez launched a spirited defence of his younger brother Alex on Sunday, condemning critics who have questioned whether his sibling is deliberately avoiding challenging him for victories in sprints and races this season. Marc, who has dominated the season with 15 victories across sprints and Sunday races, bristled when discussing social media comments and journalists' questions suggesting his brother might be holding back during their frequent one-two finishes. Alex has finished second 14 times and he came in for criticism for not being aggressive enough to overtake his older brother, with the Gresini Racing rider sitting 68 points behind Marc. "I was a bit angry because people must respect the other riders. Yesterday, many people I saw on social media and even some journalists asked me and told me that 'No, your brother is not attacking you as the others'," Marquez told TNT Sports. "People started to say that and I was angry at that time because Alex is defending his colours, he has the ambition, for that reason he's second in the championship, because he's riding in a very good way. "He's trying to manage his situation. But as we see today, another rider with another brand, with another nationality wanted to win, but he can't attack me, because if the front rider defends well, nobody can attack you." Alex did not score points at the Dutch Grand Prix race on Sunday following a crash where he broke his hand, which requires surgery. To drive the point home, Marc described how Aprilia's Marco Bezzecchi finished second behind him at Sunday's race at Assen despite the Italian trying his very best to overtake him, eventually finishing less than a second behind the Ducati rider. "And today Marco Bezzechi, why didn't he attack me? I was defending and I know that my weak point was at turn 11-12, that is the fastest area, it's a very narrow circuit and if you defend there, nobody can attack me," Marc added. "So I was defending there, just trying to attack on the brake points. "But I just want to say that people must respect the other riders and just enjoy the show. Everybody is defending his colours and everybody wants to win." Victory in the sprint and race meant more to Marc after a bruising practice session on Friday when he crashed twice. "Adrenaline is the best painkiller that exists, this is always my medicine," he said. "But now I will rest for two or three days to recover, especially the ribs, the finger, the arm -- the whole body. Big crashes are not the same (at) 20 years old as (when you are) 32!"
CNA
29-06-2025
- Sport
- CNA
Angry Marc Marquez slams critics questioning brother Alex's racing hunger
ASSEN, Netherlands :Ducati's Marc Marquez launched a spirited defence of his younger brother Alex on Sunday, condemning critics who have questioned whether his sibling is deliberately avoiding challenging him for victories in sprints and races this season. Marc, who has dominated the season with 15 victories across sprints and Sunday races, bristled when discussing social media comments and journalists' questions suggesting his brother might be holding back during their frequent one-two finishes. Alex has finished second 14 times and he came in for criticism for not being aggressive enough to overtake his older brother, with the Gresini Racing rider sitting 68 points behind Marc. "I was a bit angry because people must respect the other riders. Yesterday, many people I saw on social media and even some journalists asked me and told me that 'No, your brother is not attacking you as the others'," Marquez told TNT Sports. "People started to say that and I was angry at that time because Alex is defending his colours, he has the ambition, for that reason he's second in the championship, because he's riding in a very good way. "He's trying to manage his situation. But as we see today, another rider with another brand, with another nationality wanted to win, but he can't attack me, because if the front rider defends well, nobody can attack you." Alex did not score points at the Dutch Grand Prix race on Sunday following a crash where he broke his hand, which requires surgery. To drive the point home, Marc described how Aprilia's Marco Bezzecchi finished second behind him at Sunday's race at Assen despite the Italian trying his very best to overtake him, eventually finishing less than a second behind the Ducati rider. "And today Marco Bezzechi, why didn't he attack me? I was defending and I know that my weak point was at turn 11-12, that is the fastest area, it's a very narrow circuit and if you defend there, nobody can attack me," Marc added. "So I was defending there, just trying to attack on the brake points. "But I just want to say that people must respect the other riders and just enjoy the show. Everybody is defending his colours and everybody wants to win." Victory in the sprint and race meant more to Marc after a bruising practice session on Friday when he crashed twice. "Adrenaline is the best painkiller that exists, this is always my medicine," he said.
The Guardian
29-06-2025
- Automotive
- The Guardian
Lando Norris holds off pressure from Oscar Piastri to win Austrian F1 GP
Lando Norris won the Austrian Grand Prix after a tightly contested, tense battle with his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri. The pair delivered an immense fight but the British driver held the upper hand to take the flag. However world champion Max Verstappen's title hopes took a huge setback when the Dutchman was knocked out of the race on the opening lap, having been struck by the Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli. Ferrari enjoyed a strong return at the Red Bull Ring, with Charles Leclerc third and Lewis Hamilton in fourth. George Russell was fifth for Mercedes. Having clashed at the last round in Canada, hearts must have been in mouths at McLaren as Norris and Piastri vied to thrilling effect over the opening third of the race, ducking and diving at one another in what was a bravura display that remained nip and tuck all the way to the flag. Marc Márquez delivered a clinical masterclass at MotoGP's Cathedral of Speed on Sunday to claim victory at the Dutch Grand Prix while his brother and closest contender Alex suffered a race-ending crash that left him with a fractured hand. As Assen celebrated its centenary of motorcycle racing, the elder Márquez seized control on the second lap and did not look back as he extended his championship advantage to a commanding 68 points over Alex as he seeks a seventh title. Aprilia's Marco Bezzecchi finished second while Ducati's Francesco Bagnaia came third, with the two-times champion now staring at a daunting 126-point gap to his teammate after 10 rounds. "I'm super happy one more time to take the 37 points... Not 100% happy because my father told me that Alex broke one finger and I wish him a good recovery," Márquez told TNT Sports. "First of all, because he's my main opponent for the championship. I want to have all the opponents on the racetrack. And secondly because he's my brother and I will try to help him to stay motivated and have a good recovery." Bagnaia had won the last three races in Assen but despite taking the lead early on, he was pushed down to fourth place before he recovered to finish on the podium ahead of KTM's Pedro Acosta. Marc, who crashed hard twice on Friday, also equalled motorcycling great Giacomo Agostini with 68 premier-class victories and now sets his sights on his former rival Valentino Rossi who finished his career with 89 wins. Yamaha's Fabio Quartararo had claimed pole position but crashed in Saturday's sprint – where Marc claimed his ninth victory of the season – and the Frenchman was slow off the line while Bagnaia made the perfect start. Gresini Racing's Alex was in second place but on turn one of the next lap, Marc made his move to overtake his brother and slot in behind his teammate, waiting patiently to pounce with 24 laps left in the briefly lost his concentration and Bezzecchi, sporting a new aero package on his Aprilia, squeezed his way past the Gresini rider while Acosta also made an overtake stick to push the younger Marquez down to fifth. Up front, Marc found a gap before the final chicane on lap five to overtake Bagnaia and take the lead while his brother Alex crashed heavily when he leaned into Acosta and lost his balance when they made contact in a battle for fourth. Alex was immediately taken to the medical centre where a left hand fracture was confirmed, with Gresini saying he would fly to Madrid for surgery later on Sunday. Reuters However it was Norris who held his nerve and the edge over his teammate and closed out the win with superb control. No little redemption and an enormously resilient comeback after his misjudgement in hitting Piastri in Montreal. He has closed the gap to Piastri to 15 points but for Verstappen, the title now looks to be a monumental mountain to climb. He was unceremoniously smashed into by an over-eager Antonelli at turn three on the first lap, the world champion's race over in seconds as he now trails Piastri by 61 points, a gap that appears all but insurmountable given the pace advantage McLaren already enjoy over Red Bull. The victory is a huge fillip for Norris in what looks likely to be an even more closely-fought title fight with Piastri. Norris badly needs to demonstrate he is still very much in the game and did so emphatically in Austria, with a dominant pole followed by an equally controlled and assured victory, his third of the season and one indicative that he is determined not to allow his teammate to take charge of the championship battle. More importantly it might suggest something of a turning point for the British driver. He has struggled a little this season, lacking the responsive feel from the front axle of the car he likes to push it to the limit through corners and it has caused him issues, particularly in qualifying. However McLaren brought a major upgrade to Austria with front and rear aero improvements but vitally for Norris, also on his car is a front suspension development they were hoping would give him the feel he requires. In the race he was clearly enjoying a car beneath him that was positively purring as he tickled it beneath the eaves of the Styrian mountains. This was the Norris who entered the season as title favourite and who, on this form, may yet reassert that role over Piastri. Norris led the field away, holding place as Piastri moved up to second past Leclerc through turn one, only for a safety car to be called almost immediately. Antonelli went in far too hot at the tight right-hander of turn three and clattered into Verstappen who had started in seventh, ending both drivers' races. 'I got hit, like crazy. Fucking idiots,' was Verstappen's blunt assessment. He had qualified out of position, unlucky with a yellow flag and it left him in a more vulnerable position but he was not at fault and the Dutchman was hugely unlucky to take such a severe blow to his title ambitions. Racing resumed on lap four and Norris held his lead with ease through the restart from Piastri with Leclerc third and Hamilton fourth. Piastri immediately began to pressure Norris as the pair opened a gap out front running line astern and with a huge pace advantage over the field. Piastri, with DRS, was all over Norris's gearbox with the British driver unable to break away. The pair went wheel-to-wheel side-by-side throughout the opening corners of lap 11, barely inches apart in a gripping tussle. Piastri edged ahead only for Norris to come back at him. Norris just held on as they battled hard but clean in a race of their own. The pressure on Norris was immense as the contest continued but the British driver held his nerve and the place. On lap 20 Piastri once more had a look into turn four but could not make it and he locked up. Through the two sets of pit stops there was little between them and in the final third Piastri was undeterred and once more closed to within three seconds with 10 laps to go and Norris had to keep his head down as he navigated traffic and attempted to maintain the lead. Sign up to The Recap The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend's action after newsletter promotion It was a tense, gripping finale. Piastri moved to just under two seconds but Norris had iron will out in front, flawless to check out the final laps and take the flag. Liam Lawson was sixth for Racing Bulls, Fernando Alonso seventh for Aston Martin, Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hülkenberg eighth and ninth for Sauber and Esteban Ocon 10th for Haas.
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Marc Marquez wins Dutch GP as brother Alex crashes out
Marc Marquez has delivered a clinical masterclass at MotoGP's Cathedral of Speed to claim victory at the Dutch Grand Prix while his brother and closest contender Alex suffered a race-ending crash that left him with a fractured hand. As Assen celebrated its centenary of motorcycle racing on Sunday, the elder Marquez seized control on the second lap and did not look back as he extended his championship advantage to a commanding 68 points over Alex as he seeks a seventh title. Aprilia's Marco Bezzecchi finished second while Ducati's Francesco Bagnaia came third, with the two-time champion now staring at a daunting 126-point gap to his teammate after 10 rounds. Another one for @marcmarquez93 🏆#DutchGP 🇳🇱 — MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) June 29, 2025 "I'm super happy one more time to take the 37 points ... Not 100 per cent happy because my father told me that Alex broke one finger and I wish him a good recovery," Marquez said. "First of all, because he's my main opponent for the championship. I want to have all the opponents on the racetrack. And secondly because he's my brother and I will try to help him to stay motivated and have a good recovery." Bagnaia had won the last three races in Assen but despite taking the lead early on, he was pushed down to fourth place before he recovered to finish on the podium ahead of KTM's Pedro Acosta. Marc, who crashed hard twice on Friday, also equalled motorcycling great Giacomo Agostini with 68 premier class victories and now sets his sights on his former rival Valentino Rossi who finished his career with 89 wins. Yamaha's Fabio Quartararo had claimed pole position but crashed in Saturday's sprint, where Marc claimed his ninth victory of the season, and the Frenchman was slow off the line while Bagnaia made the perfect start. Gresini Racing's Alex was in second place but on turn one of the next lap, Marc made his move to overtake his brother and slot in behind his teammate, waiting patiently to pounce with 24 laps left in the race. Alex briefly lost his concentration and Bezzecchi, sporting a new aero package on his Aprilia, squeezed his way past the Gresini rider while Acosta also made an overtake stick to push the younger Marquez down to fifth. Up front, Marc found a gap before the final chicane on lap five to overtake Bagnaia and take the lead while his brother Alex crashed heavily when he leaned into Acosta and lost his balance when they made contact in a battle for fourth. Alex was taken to the medical centre where a left hand fracture was confirmed, with Gresini saying he would fly to Madrid for surgery later on Sunday. Australia's Jack Miller was 14th aboard his Pramac Yamaha and lies 18th in the overall standings.
Al Jazeera
29-06-2025
- Sport
- Al Jazeera
Dutch MotoGP: Marc Marquez wins but brother crashes out
Marc Marquez delivered a clinical masterclass at MotoGP's Cathedral of Speed to claim victory at the Dutch Grand Prix while his brother and closest contender Alex suffered a race-ending crash that left him with a fractured hand. As Assen celebrated its centenary of motorcycle racing, the elder Marquez seized control on the second lap on Sunday and did not look back as he extended his championship advantage to a commanding 68 points over Alex as he seeks a seventh title. Aprilia's Marco Bezzecchi finished second while Ducati's Francesco Bagnaia came third, with the two-times champion now staring at a daunting 126-point gap to his teammate after 10 rounds. Bagnaia had won the last three races in Assen but despite taking the lead early on, he was pushed down to fourth place before he recovered to finish on the podium ahead of KTM's Pedro Acosta. Marc, who crashed hard twice on Friday, also equalled motorcycling great Giacomo Agostini with 68 premier class victories and now sets his sights on his former rival Valentino Rossi who finished his career with 89 wins. Yamaha's Fabio Quartararo had claimed pole position but crashed in Saturday's sprint – where Marc claimed his ninth victory of the season – and the Frenchman was slow off the line while Bagnaia made the perfect start. Gresini Racing's Alex was in second place but on turn one of the next lap, Marc made his move to overtake his brother and slot in behind his teammate, waiting patiently to pounce with 24 laps left in the race. Alex briefly lost his concentration and Bezzecchi, sporting a new aero package on his Aprilia, squeezed his way past the Gresini rider while Acosta also made an overtake stick to push the younger Marquez down to fifth. Alex Marquez crashes out Up front, Marc found a gap before the final chicane on lap five to overtake Bagnaia and take the lead while his brother Alex crashed heavily when he leaned into Acosta and lost his balance when they made contact in a battle for fourth. Alex appeared to lock his front tyre in the incident, which gave a puff of smoke as the bike tipped its rider straight onto the ground. He was immediately taken to the medical centre where a left hand fracture was confirmed, with Gresini saying the 29-year-old would fly to Madrid for surgery later on Sunday. More information about Alex's expected recovery timeline is expected to emerge on Monday. Bagnaia seemed to be losing pace as both Bezzecchi and Acosta moved into podium positions. But the Italian Ducati rider snatched third place back from Acosta at the end of lap 14 to set his sights on Bezzecchi. But whatever Bezzecchi did to put pressure on Marc, the six-times MotoGP champion did not budge as he managed his tyres and maintained his pace until he took the chequered flag. The MotoGP calendar has a weekend off before they reunite for the German Grand Prix in a fortnight.
