Francesco Bagnaia disagrees with what Marc Marquez has just said at the Dutch Grand Prix after Assen crash

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Ducati racer Marc Marquez was one of several riders to hit the deck during a crash fest at Assen on Friday, with practice for the 2025 Dutch Grand Prix producing 25 crashes.

The TT Circuit Assen saw five times as many incidents on the first day of the 2025 Dutch GP weekend as there were one year ago in the Netherlands. But the 25 crashes seen on Friday were still one fewer than the record set at Assen on the opening day of the 2023 Dutch GP.

Marquez was one of the headline fallers throughout practice on Friday, with the Ducati pilot suffering two offs. The host of incidents over the two sessions even saw some MotoGP fans call Assen ‘so dangerous’ after seeing a number of riders crash and also cause two red flags.

Cooler temperatures at Assen helped to spark the high number of crashes, which included a fiery off for Ai Ogura. The Trackhouse star’s Aprilia caught alight while tumbling through the gravel at Meeuwenmeer. Lorenzo Savadori of Aprilia also suffered a highside at Stekkenwal.

Ducati’s Marc Marquez admits he was ‘scared’ at the Dutch GP after his first crash at Assen

Marquez suffered two offs this Friday, with the Ducati rider’s first crash at the Ramshoek and then at the Ruskenhoek in the timed pre-qualifying practice session at the Dutch GP. He first lost the rear of his Desmosedici GP25 at the fast Turn 15, before later losing the front at T7.

READ MORE: Everything to know about Marc Marquez from net worth to girlfriend

Six-time premier class champion Marquez noted after practice that he had felt ‘scared’ after his first crash of the day at Assen. The 32-year-old caught his funny bone, which caused his hand to go ‘numb’. Marquez also admitted his confidence ‘might suffer’ after crashing twice.

Marquez outlined, via SPEEDWEEK: “When I go into qualifying, I certainly won’t think that I absolutely can’t crash. But my confidence might suffer a bit from the crashes. The important thing is that I was in the top three for most of both practice sessions.

“I felt good on the bike and was comfortably setting good times. If I know why I crashed, then I can immediately get back to my performance. That doesn’t take away my confidence.

“After the first crash, I was just a little scared because I had pinched the nerve in my elbow, and my hand felt as if it were numb. That’s why I took off my glove so quickly. I could move my hand, but I had zero feeling.”

Francesco Bagnaia is ‘convinced’ that Marc Marquez will not suffer from his crash at Assen

Yet while Marquez admitted his crash at Assen could dent his confidence, the Ducati rider’s teammate Francesco Bagnaia is ‘convinced’ that the Spaniard will ‘immediately’ be on the pace in qualifying for the Dutch GP as he eyes a seventh pole of the 2025 MotoGP season.

READ MORE: Everything to know about Francesco Bagnaia from net worth to race number

“Marc is not in difficulty,” Bagnaia told Sky Italia. “He is pushing hard, he takes everything to the limit and, because of the cold, it was not easy. He is not someone who is scared of crashes, and I am convinced that tomorrow morning he will be immediately competitive.”

Due to the timings of their final flying laps during the pre-qualifying practice session for the Dutch GP this Friday at Assen, Bagnaia and Marquez ended the day with the fifth and sixth-best lap times. They trailed Yamaha ace Fabio Quartararo’s 1:31.156 by 0.254s and 0.299s.