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MotoGP Grand Prix of Netherlands 2019: Race Schedule, Live Stream and Top Riders
June 28, 2019
Defending MotoGP World Champion Marc Marquez will start the Grand Prix of the Netherlands with a massive lead in the standings following his win in Catalonia.
The Spaniard has consistently been excellent in nearly all races, finishing in the top two in all Grands Prix but one. He won last year's race at Assen and will be the favourite this time around as well.
Saturday
8:55 a.m. BST/3:55 a.m. ET: FP3
1:10 p.m. BST/8:10 a.m. ET: Q1
1:35 p.m. BST/8:45 a.m. ET: Q2
Sunday
8:40 a.m. BST/3:40 a.m. ET: WUP
1 p.m. BST/8 a.m. ET: RACE
Live-stream links: BT Sport App (UK), beIN Sports Connect (U.S.)
Top Riders
Marc Marquez, Honda
With four wins in seven starts―along with two second-placed finishes and one retirement―Marquez is once again the man to beat in MotoGP, sporting a massive 37-point lead ahead of the Dutch GP.
His main rivals decided to make things easy on him in the last Grand Prix, as Jorge Lorenzo took out some of the front-runners in a spectacular crash:
Marquez won last year's race at Assen, one of the most iconic and unique tracks on the racing calendar. It was only his second win in the Netherlands in MotoGP, but the 26-year-old has consistently finished on the podium there across all categories, and the track suits his style of racing well.
The fast, flowing nature is best explained by the chief mechanics:
This year's Honda has the raw speed to make up for minor mistakes in the corners, and Marquez tends to limit mistakes better than anyone else on the grid. If he gets to the front of the pack, there's a good chance the rest of the field won't see him again.
Valentino Rossi, Yamaha
Valentino Rossi has 10 career wins at Assen―including eight in MotoGP―and the track is one of the Italian's favourites.
Rossi has had some iconic moments in the Netherlands, including this epic battle with Marquez back in 2015:
The 40-year-old hasn't won a race since 2017, however, and is coming off back-to-back retirements. He was one of the victims of the Jorge Lorenzo crash in Barcelona and finds himself in fifth place in the standings as a result.
The Italian isn't expected to challenge for the win on Sunday, but if there's one track where he could end his winless streak, it would be Assen. His last MotoGP win, back in 2017, came in the Netherlands.
Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati
Another rider who fell victim to the crash in Barcelona, Andrea Dovizioso is Marquez's closest competitor in the overall standings entering the Netherlands Grand Prix.
He was far from happy with Lorenzo's move, per Autosport:
The 33-year-old had finished in the top four of every race prior to his crash in Barcelona, and if he's fully recovered should be among the front-runners once again. He hasn't fared well in Assen during his career, however, with no wins there in MotoGP and only three podium spots.
His lack of success at the track means Sunday's race may be about damage-limitation, rather than trying to close the gap to championship leader Marquez.