UPDATE Espargaro penalty: Dutch MotoGP, Assen - Free Practice (2) Results

UPDATE: Aleix Espargaro has been stripped of his lap times set at the end of Free Practice 2 after running 'with a rear water spoiler (add-on) whilst using slick tyres on the front and rear'.

This contravenes rule 2.4.4.7.10.e) of the technical regulations, which states that a rear tyre water spoiler (add-on) is only allowed 'in the case that at least one rain tyre is fitted on the motorcycle'.

The session began on wet tyres, but the Aprilia team should have then removed the swingarm water spoiler when changing over to slicks.

Espargaro thus drops from second to last place on the Friday timesheets, meaning he will need to break back into the top ten on Saturday morning to avoid a place in Qualifying 1.

Fortunately for the Spaniard, dry weather is currently forecast for FP3.

Meanwhile, 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.

"I'm sorry for a mistake I made in FP2. I went outside the track and accidentally hindered Enea, and I got a long-lap penalty for it," Morbidelli said.

Dutch MotoGP, Assen - Free Practice (2) Results
Pos		Rider	Nat	Team	Time/Diff	Lap	Max
1	^10	Francesco Bagnaia	ITA	Ducati Lenovo (GP22)	1'33.274s	19/19	308k
	^3	Aleix Espargaro	SPA	Aprilia Racing (RS-GP)	+0.178s	15/15	306k
2	^15	Fabio Quartararo	FRA	Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1)	+0.305s	20/20	301k
3	^4	Alex Rins	SPA	Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR)	+0.337s	14/14	304k
4	˅4	Jack Miller	AUS	Ducati Lenovo (GP22)	+0.559s	18/18	307k
5	˅4	Joan Mir	SPA	Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR)	+0.625s	21/21	303k
6	^4	Maverick Viñales	SPA	Aprilia Racing (RS-GP)	+0.664s	17/17	306k
7	^6	Brad Binder	RSA	Red Bull KTM (RC16)	+0.853s	21/21	304k
8	=	Johann Zarco	FRA	Pramac Ducati (GP22)	+1.012s	18/18	304k
9	^5	Marco Bezzecchi	ITA	Mooney VR46 Ducati (GP21)*	+1.038s	17/17	308k
10	^15	Enea Bastianini	ITA	Gresini Ducati (GP21)	+1.042s	15/15	307k
11	^5	Takaaki Nakagami	JPN	LCR Honda (RC213V)	+1.230s	19/19	304k
12	^12	Luca Marini	ITA	Mooney VR46 Ducati (GP22)	+1.262s	18/18	301k
13	˅9	Alex Marquez	SPA	LCR Honda (RC213V)	+1.325s	17/17	308k
14	^7	Andrea Dovizioso	ITA	WithU Yamaha RNF (YZR-M1)	+1.376s	17/18	301k
15	˅9	Miguel Oliveira	POR	Red Bull KTM (RC16)	+1.402s	16/21	303k
16	˅7	Jorge Martin	SPA	Pramac Ducati (GP22)	+1.549s	17/17	304k
17	˅2	Franco Morbidelli	ITA	Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1)	+1.554s	18/22	302k
18	˅15	Pol Espargaro	SPA	Repsol Honda (RC213V)	+1.560s	13/17	302k
19	˅7	Fabio Di Giannantonio	ITA	Gresini Ducati (GP21)*	+1.628s	15/18	304k
20	^2	Lorenzo Savadori	ITA	Aprilia Racing (RS-GP)	+1.807s	19/19	304k
21	^2	Remy Gardner	AUS	KTM Tech3 (RC16)*	+1.948s	19/19	300k
22	˅2	Darryn Binder	RSA	WithU Yamaha RNF (YZR-M1)*	+2.297s	15/15	303k
23	˅5	Stefan Bradl	GER	Repsol Honda (RC213V)	+2.677s	10/10	302k
24	˅5	Raul Fernandez	SPA	KTM Tech3 (RC16)*	+2.952s	17/17	299k
25		Aleix Espargaro	SPA	Aprilia Racing (RS-GP)	+8.086s	8/15	306k

Key:
^X Rider is X positions higher than FP1.
= Rider is same position as FP1.
˅X Rider is X positions lower than FP1.

* 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 disaster behind him by leading day one of the Dutch MotoGP at Assen, as improving conditions unleashed much faster lap times in Free Practice 2.

Following a soaking wet morning session, led by Bagnaia's Ducati team-mate Jack Miller with a 1m 42.589s, a dry line quickly began forming in the afternoon.

Miller's FP1 best was soon beaten as a result, with Alex Marquez - hotly linked with a switch to Gresini Ducati next season - leading the field until Franco Morbidelli set the first sub-1m 42s lap of the weekend just before the halfway stage.

The Monster Yamaha rider was also the first to make a complete (front and rear) switch from the soft to medium wet tyres, due to the drying track.

Wet Mandalika race winner Miguel Oliveira then took over at the top for KTM, while Luca Marini became the first rider of the weekend to try slick tyres. The young Italian soon proved they were the most effective choice, at least for the brave, vaulting up the order to first place with 17-minutes to go.

While Marini continued improving with every lap, factory Yamaha riders Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli were among those to follow his lead, although most were in no hurry to fit dry tyres.

That had changed by the final ten minutes, when a pseudo-qualifying attack saw riders chasing a top ten place in case of worse weather on Saturday morning.

Oliveira, Bagnaia, Quartararo, Marco Bezzecchi, Quartararo again and Aleix Espargaro all rotated through P1 in the closing minutes before Bagnaia had the final word with the best lap of the day.

Morning faller Bezzecchi tumbled again in the closing stages of this afternoon.

Weather forecasts predict better conditions on Saturday, although rain is likely to remain a threat throughout the weekend.

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.

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

Dutch MotoGP race weekend schedule (UK time)

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