Qualifying
With the aim of improving front feel and stability through the TT Circuit Assen’s high-speed changes of direction, Bastianini made improvements when he demonstrated good speed on a used soft rear tyre in FP2. The Italian then qualified eleventh in an extremely competitive Q2, where 0.8s covered the top eleven riders.

After sampling two different aerodynamic options on Friday, Viñales settled on one setting ahead of Qualifying. The Spaniard struggled to get the best of his KTM RC16 on new tyres, which held him back in Q1 with the ninth fastest time of the session - putting him 19th on the grid.

Sprint
Keen to recover places early on, Bastianini showed aggression from the start. ‘La Bestia’ gained one place on the first lap before passes on Pedro Acosta and Fabio Quartararo saw him climb to eighth at the close of lap two. At that point, the 28-year-old set the fifth fastest lap of the race, which allowed him to latch on to the rear of a six-rider fight for the final podium place.

As the group stretched apart, Bastianini’s consistent rhythm kept him within one second of fifth place, just back of Jorge Martin, Francesco Bagnaia and Marc Márquez. While he was unable to make a pass in the closing laps, the #23 rider came home as the top KTM finisher in eighth, just five seconds back of victor Raul Fernandez.

Viñales maintained position on the first lap but soon started making up ground from his qualifying position of 19th. ‘Top Gun’ jumped ahead of Jack Miller and Toprak Razgatlioglu on lap four and settled into a strong rhythm. The Spaniard’s lap times continued to improve as the race wore on, with his personal best arriving two laps from the chequered flag – making him the ninth fastest rider in the Sprint. Coming home 16th, the 31-year-old can take positives from his speed in the closing laps ahead of Sunday.

Bastianini and Viñales are now gearing up for the main event of the Grand Prix of the Netherlands. The Red Bull KTM Tech3 team-mates are aiming to produce similar comebacks in Sunday’s 26-lap main race, which starts at 14:00 (UTC+2).

Enea Bastianini: “My feeling with the front was okay today and we made some good improvements. My pace was good during the race, and I was really enjoying it in the early laps. When I was alone, I could brake hard and recover the gap to the group ahead. Then I was still competitive when I was there behind them, but I just missed a little acceleration, and it was too risky to try an overtake. So, I was waiting for the guys in front to make a mistake, but they didn’t so I finished eighth. Tomorrow is the long race, and I hope to improve so I can make some overtakes if we’re behind other riders.”

Maverick Viñales: “This race went from less to more. After the rear tyre dropped, I started to ride better, and I felt much better in the last five laps. I don’t know why, but I am struggling to go fast with the new tyre as I can’t ride the bike aggressively. I’m quite happy with the mid-1’32s I was doing at the end of the Sprint. We need to build up from there. I know I’m losing in one or two places, but I was able to ride well in other areas. It’s great to be on the bike and I feel it’s helping me. I will try with everything I have to get back to my level and this is my target now.”

Nicolas Goyon, Team Manager: “In the end it was quite a positive day for Red Bull KTM Tech3 in Assen. Qualifying didn’t go according to plan this morning with P11 for Enea and P19 for Maverick, but this afternoon they managed to find a better balance with the bike.

“After a good start, Enea fought in the lead group and stayed with them until the end. This was a good achievement as he was fighting for seventh position with Marc Márquez in the final laps which is a good sign for him. With the fifth fastest lap of the Sprint, I congratulate him as he fully achieved the target today.

“On Maverick’s side it was a bit more difficult. Through the laps Maverick managed to find his pace. The good thing is he set his fastest lap toward the end. He got the ninth fastest lap of the Sprint and was the second fastest KTM. This is a positive sign for Maverick, and he just needs to carry this into tomorrow’s main race.”