Marquez: If Yamaha are going to win, it's here - 'best bike'

Marc Marquez has piled pressure on the Yamaha riders by declaring that, if they are going to win, it will be in Sunday's Dutch MotoGP race at Assen.

"It's the best bike at this circuit," added the reigning world champion.

Ducati's Jack Miller shared a similar view after qualifying, saying the Yamaha riders "keep going on about how much trouble they are in, but it seems to be working pretty fine around here" before explaining how easy it looks for them to flick their bike from side to side:

"I'm throwing elbows, legs, feet the whole lot at it and they are able to sit in the centre of the seat, just turn the handlebars and the thing changes direction for them."

Yamaha has managed just one MotoGP victory in the last two years - at Phillip Island 2018 - but led every free practice session at Assen courtesy of Petronas star rookie Fabio Quartararo and Monster's Maverick Vinales.

The pair then went on to qualify first and third respectively, sandwiching the Suzuki of Alex Rins, with Honda's reigning champion Marquez off the front row for the first time this season.

"For me, if Yamaha can come back and win again, it's at this circuit," Marquez said. "So they know and they are pushing.

"Tomorrow they will have pressure because it's been a long time without a win and they know that their bike is working very good at this circuit.

"For me, it is the best bike at this circuit.

"The Suzuki is also working good. I mean, these two bikes have very good handling and we will see, but at the moment I think the Yamahas have something more than Rins."

While runaway title leader Marquez was the only Honda rider to qualify in the top five (+0.714s), the best Ducati was Danilo Petrucci in seventh (+1.265s).

Miller will start tenth on the grid, 1.3s behind Quartararo.

"It's just another Frenchman on a Yamaha pulling poles out left, right and centre. It seems like he's got a lot of grip!" smiled the Australian, who struggled for traction with the soft rear tyre in the scorching afternoon heat.

"It seems with the Yamaha, they keep going on about how much trouble they are in and everything like that, but I followed Morbidelli and Vinales and it seems to be working pretty fine around here.

"We go through the change of direction and I'm throwing elbows, legs, feet the whole lot at it to try and get it to change direction - and they are able to sit in the centre of the seat and just turn the handlebars and the thing changes direction for them.

"So they can go on all they like about how it's not working, but it seems to be going alright this weekend.

"We'll see how they go tomorrow, I know the Yamahas don't normally start the best..."

While Quartararo and Vinales were at the sharp end in qualifying, the other Yamahas of Franco Morbidelli and Valentino Rossi could only manage ninth and 14th respectively.

Vinales was the lone Yamaha race winner during 2018, while seven-time MotoGP champion Rossi hasn't tasted victory since Assen 2017.

A satellite M1 has never won a MotoGP race, but Quartararo took his debut podium last time in Barcelona and has now made history as the youngest rider to claim back-to-back MotoGP poles.

Team-mate Morbidelli has a best MotoGP result of fifth.