Marc Marquez Doubts Aprilia Challenge at Assen MotoGP

Marc Marquez gave a blunt verdict on his chances of closing the gap to Aprilia in the 2026 Assen MotoGP after finishing sixth in Sunday morning warm up.

The reigning Ducati champion arrived at Assen after winning three of the previous four races, but he has not finished higher than fifth in any session across the Dutch MotoGP weekend.

"Er... no. So, just try to do our best."

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Marquez said Saturday's Sprint effectively left him seventh before Francesco Bagnaia's track limits penalty changed the final order. He accepted that rules must be applied, although he felt Bagnaia had not gained an advantage from the incident.

Aprilia has been the dominant force at Assen after locking out the top four places in qualifying and securing a Sprint one-two with Raul Fernandez and Ai Ogura. Marco Bezzecchi returned to the top of the timesheets in warm up, while polesitter Jorge Martin admitted a setup direction tried on Sunday morning did not work.

Fabio Di Giannantonio, who finished third in the Sprint, admitted victory would be a major challenge given Aprilia's pace. Bagnaia, third in warm up, still believes a podium is possible if he can make a strong start.

Bezzecchi heads into the 26-lap race with a nine-point lead over Martin, 22 over Di Giannantonio and 42 over Marquez, leaving Ducati with a demanding task to contain Aprilia's advantage at Assen.