The rider of the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team is seventh at the end of Friday of the Dutch GP and secures a direct Q2 spot. Morbidelli is eleventh.
High temperature – reaching 37 degrees – and challenging conditions defined Friday of the Dutch GP, tenth round of the 2026 MotoGP season. But the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team faced the first day of the weekend with determination, securing a direct Q2 spot with Fabio Di Giannanonio, who is seventh in Practice. Franco Morbidelli almost achieved the Top10 and finishes his Friday in eleventh place.
It was a positive start to the day for Di Giannantonio, who ended FP1 in fourth place. Despite Practice proved to be more challenging than expected due to the very high temperatures, Fabio improved his best laptime throughout the session: with his laptime in 1’31”465 that allowed him to get the seventh place, the rider from Rome secures a direct Q2 spot in Assen, succeding Friday’s goal.
Morbidelli had a constantly improving Friday, showing some steps forward from FP1 to Practice: the heat was not on the rider’s side, but Franco managed to get closer and closer to the Top10, and he ended Practice in eleventh place. His 1’31”727 wasn’t enough to secure a direct Q2 spot, which missed by just 26 thousandths.
The Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team will return to the track on Saturday for qualifying, which will begin at 10:50 (local time). This will be followed by the Sprint race at 15:00 (local time). The Dutch GP will conclude with the main race on Sunday, starting at 14:00 (local time).
FABIO DI GIANNANTONIO
“I am happy, we reached Friday’s goal, which is the direct Q2. Today, we struggled a bit to keep the pace of the rider ahead of us, especially with soft tyre, but with the medium one we were closer to the front. We worked hard, because we always want to improve the bike even more – aerodynamic and setting. Overall, the day was good, because we found the best direction for us quite soon and we managed to complete good laps. The goal of the Qualifying will be to start as further as possible, that will be more crucial than ever because of the rule modification of the start without the front device.”
FRANCO MORBIDELLI
“Overall, it was a positive day. We had a good speed, it’s a pity we missed Q2 just by 26 thousandths and for the 3-place-penalty on the grid on Sunday. I am happy with the bike I’m riding and I am having fun despite the feeling is not as perfect as we expected. Today we were fast, and I’m sorry just for those 26 thousandhts that will keep us apart from the direct Q2 spot. With the rule modification of the start, starting as further as possibile will be crucial, that will be Qualifying’s goal.”
