From the beautiful hills of Tuscany at the Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello to the good old and iconic Cathedral of Speed in the north of the Netherlands, the Red Bull KTM Tech3 squad is already settling down at the TT Circuit Assen, the longest serving venue on the MotoGP™ calendar, for another race week! After their DNFs last Sunday in Mugello, both Maverick Viñales and Enea Bastianini will be arriving to this new race week with even more hunger than usual, to one of their favorite race tracks of the calendar.
Grand Prix of The Netherlands
The end-story in Mugello was not the one we wanted for Maverick Viñales after the Spaniard’s chances of a podium were reduced to ashes when he was brought down by another rider while in 4th. Nevertheless, ‘Top Gun’ continued to impress with another step made on the RC16 in Italy, after we saw him top Friday’s Practice, qualify in 5th on the grid (best season’s qualifying), and take the 4th place in the sprint, also his best result in KTM on a Saturday. The progress is there, the speed and the confidence too, it is just a matter of time until Viñales is able to reach his target, a first podium in orange. The TT Circuit Assen could be the ideal place to do so for the #12, who holds decent records in the Netherlands. He won the edition in 2019, and has another three podiums in the main class. Last season, he finished in 5th, and had the bronze medal in the sprint, which means he will be heading to a track he has constantly been strong on. Enea Bastianini will also be eager to head to the Netherlands, one of his favorite layouts of the calendar because of its fast corners, but we will have to see how he manages the KTM on the Dutch track, with the Italian often struggling with the fast changes of direction on his RC16. His early crash in the race in Mugello was for sure not the result he wanted, but there were many positives to take from that Italian round, and ‘The Beast’ will be looking to keep the momentum going in Assen. Last season, he was on the third step of the podium, so we will be looking forward to seeing if Bastianini can transform his improvements into concrete results.
Get ready for another stunner as we hit the Cathedral of Speed and all its challenges for the first back-to-back races of 2025! Maverick Viñales and Enea Bastianini will already be back on their beasts on Friday to kick off their Dutch Grand Prix campaign with Free Practice 1 at 10:45 local time (UTC+2), followed later on in the day by the one hour-Practice session, at 15:00. On Saturday, Red Bull KTM Tech3’s captains will fight for a good grid position as qualifying begins at 10:50 LT, just after a final Free Practice 2 of half an hour. At 15:00 in the afternoon, the MotoGP™ grid will line up for the Tissot Sprint (13 laps), an appetizer of Sunday’s main race scheduled at 14:00 (UTC+2). Can the boys colour the podium in orange for the first time of the season? Let’s find out!
MAVERICK VIÑALES: "Assen is a track that I really like, I have always had a really good feeling with this circuit. We are arriving there at the right moment, because we are all very hungry for what is coming, especially after the crash in Mugello. We really want to be on the podium, we are feeling super well on the bike, so I think that Assen can be the place to achieve our target!"
ENEA BASTIANINI: "Assen is one of my favorite races of the year, because the track is really fast. I do not have particular expectations heading to this week, because we have to see how we will approach it with the KTM. Mugello was positive for us, we felt competitive, so I am hoping that we can continue working in that direction, continue making steps forward. We would like to be able to fight for the top 10, and I am confident that we can do so!"
NICOLAS GOYON, Team Manager: "We are about to hit the first back-to-back races of this 2025 season with the Motul Grand Prix of the Netherlands following last week in Italy. The Assen layout is one of the very few old-style circuits still on the calendar. It will be interesting to understand how much we have improved the turning of our bike compared to last year. The Italian Grand Prix was a huge frustration for Red Bull KTM Tech3, and Maverick Viñales will aim to take his revenge on this Dutch track that he particularly likes, where he has already won in the past. He has built a good confidence on the bike during the last races, so all the lights are green for a strong weekend on his side. Enea Bastianini still does not feel completely confortable, but we saw some clear improvements in Italy, where he was a real Q2 contender for the first time. The target is to focus on following up with the positives from Italy, and we will see how he can do at the TT!"
ABOUT THE TRACK
Assen is the longest serving venue on the calendar, having held a round every year since 1949 with the sole exception of 2020. The circuit was purpose built for the Dutch TT in 1955, with previous events having been held on public roads. The track is narrow, with rapid changes in direction, and is fully surrounded by grass banks and grandstands, providing excellent viewing for the hundreds of thousands of fanatical spectators who are drawn to the most prestigious event in Dutch motorsport every year. A huge favourite with riders, Assen is well known for its festive and extravagant atmosphere. In 1999 the circuit was modified with a new grandstand, control tower, press centre and renovated boxes. Modifications to the Assen circuit over the winter of 2005/6 saw the length of the championship’s longest serving track cut from over 6km down to 4.555km/2.83miles.
TRACK RECORDS
All Time Record: 2024 - F. Bagnaia (ITA) - 1'30.540 - 180.5 km/h
Best Race Lap: 2024 - F. Bagnaia (ITA) - 1'31.866 - 177.9 km/h
Best Pole: 2024 - F. Bagnaia (ITA) - 1'30.540 - 180.5 km/h
Top Speed: 2015 - A. Iannone (ITA) - 319.8 km/h
