It’s race week! Finally, it seems so long ago since we saw Pecco dominate Mugello, even though it’s only been three weeks. A lot has changed since that last race. We have had Martin sign for Aprilia, Marquez to Ducati, and Viñales to KTM—it’s been a wild transfer season, to say the least.

This week, the MotoGP circus travels to the ‘Cathedral of Speed’ in the Netherlands. In 2023, we had a Pecco victory and Bezzecchi in second place, a switch up from Bezzecchi’s victory and silver for Pecco in the Saturday sprint. Marc Marquez, still on the Repsol Honda, didn’t even take part in the race due to a fractured rib. Following the second and first-place results over the weekend, it sent Pecco to the top of the championship going into the summer break.

Could we see a similar situation to last year? Jorge Martin is currently sitting in the hot seat at number 1 (171 points) with only an 18-point advantage over Pecco Bagnaia (153 points), followed closely by Marc Marquez (136 points). Marquez could close in on a fairytale comeback, having the opportunity to move up into second place. However, Pecco is going into this weekend on the back of a double win in Mugello, with the possibility of climbing back to the top of the leaderboard. As we know from the past few seasons, these moments can ultimately decide the championship. Holding your nerve in important races like these can pay dividends come the end of the season and can buy you some breathing room.

I think that Pecco is going to get his third Assen victory in a row, winning in both 2022 and 2023. Jorge Martin has not been on the podium at Assen in MotoGP; however, his recent form could land him in parc fermé. Marquez hasn’t been on the podium in Assen since 2018 where, yes of course, he took the victory. Could we potentially see Marc back on top on his new favorite machine? This season has given us some spectacular battles. There have already been some high-pressure situations this year, with several riders racing for their dream seats in 2025. Although a lot of these seats are now signed and confirmed, the competition for the 2024 championship itself is heating up. Jorge is out to prove he is a championship-winning rider and show Factory Ducati what they are missing out on. Marquez seems to be riding free at the moment, enjoying every moment, and Pecco is determined to show he is still the number one rider in the paddock.