Francesco Bagnaia on third Assen win: “The best one in MotoGP”

Francesco Bagnaia continued his sensational Dutch MotoGP weekend with one of his best performances ever in the grand prix.

After leading every lap of the sprint, Bagnaia did the same in the 26-lap grand prix, holding Jorge Martin at bay.

Bagnaia’s win sees him gain another five points on Martin to bring him within 10 of the championship lead.

Speaking about how big his Assen win was, Bagnaia said: “In terms of result this is the best one I think in MotoGP.

“I was leading all the sessions which is something that doesn’t happen all the time. To win in this way was incredible.

“I did the same thing in Moto2 in 2018. What I want to say is that I’m very proud of my team and we did an incredible job all weekend.

“The bike was fantastic and we just adapted little things to be better in the fast corners because at the start of the weekend I was struggling compared to other riders.

“As soon as we adjusted everything was perfect. Winning today was incredible.”

Fastest from the outset on Friday, the clear expectation was for Bagnaia to win after topping every session except warm-up.

A certain amount of pressure naturally followed as anything but a win would have been a success.

Asked if he felt a clear step ahead of his competition this weekend, Bagnaia added: “It is a really great moment. Also, in the last part of 2021, the middle of 2022 and last season, many times it happened to me where I felt fantastic with the bike.

“At the moment I know perfectly our potential and if we work well we can fight for a win every time.

“We can have some race weekends like this. It gives me a lot of motivation. When you start a race and everyone knows you have to win because of your pace, what you did in the weekend, a second position is already a loss.

“In terms of pressure it is more. But I didn’t care and I just enjoyed everything. I love this track and I love going fast. For me it wasn’t a problem, I just really enjoyed it.”