Raul Fernandez wins MotoGP Silverstone as Jorge Martin extends championship lead to 31 points

Sprint race: Aprilia sweep

The MotoGP weekend at Silverstone resumed after the summer break with Aprilia dominating Saturday's Sprint race. Jorge Martin started from pole position, set with a record lap in qualifying, and led from start to finish for his third Sprint victory of the season. Ai Ogura finished second and Marco Bezzecchi third, completing an all-Aprilia podium that saw the Noale manufacturer occupy the top three positions in the championship standings. The soft rear tyre chosen by most riders proved problematic, with lap times rising by around two seconds and several competitors struggling more than expected. Martin, who had trained intensively on a bicycle during the summer break, admitted surprise at maintaining his lead despite tyre temperature alarms.

I don't know how they didn't catch me, I don't understand it, because there have been races where I felt much better and I wasn't able to reach the podium. And I think I felt terrible, I had all the tyre temperature alarms on and I still managed it well.

Bezzecchi's third place marked his return to competition just three weeks after surgery on his shoulder and knee, following a compound fracture of his collarbone and a knee wound. The Italian rider, who had lost his championship lead after a difficult period from Mugello onwards, was moved to tears at the finish.

I really needed it. I'm fatigued and in pain, even though I feel better compared to practice. It's more a problem of physical strength than pain. The podium? A beautiful explosion of emotions because after the win at Mugello it was a complicated period. The injuries made the summer break almost a torture, but now I'm happy. Let's look forward.

Sunday main race: Fernandez triumphs

Raul Fernandez took the lead immediately after the start and dictated the pace throughout, winning the British Grand Prix with a margin of 2.538 seconds over his Aprilia teammate Martin. The Spanish rider completed a strong weekend with a commanding performance on Silverstone's fast corners, building a gap of over two seconds in the early laps. Martin recovered from a poor start, having gone wide and dropped to fourth before climbing back to second place by the eighth lap.

Bezzecchi secured third after a fierce defence against Alex Marquez in the closing laps. Starting fifth on the grid, the Italian fended off repeated attacks from the Gresini Ducati rider, closing every gap to hold the final podium position by 3.393 seconds behind the winner. Alex Marquez finished fourth, followed by Pedro Acosta on KTM in fifth and Fabio Di Giannantonio in sixth, who won a duel with Marc Marquez for the position. Marc Marquez, who had started sixth after a yellow-flag incident in qualifying aborted his final flying lap, crossed the line seventh, 9.550 seconds behind the winner.

Crashes and retirements

Pecco Bagnaia's difficult weekend ended with a crash and retirement mid-race, compounding a qualifying session that had seen him eliminated in Q1 and a Sprint finish of 17th, over twenty seconds behind. Ai Ogura, third in the championship, also retired after closing a corner too tightly and ending in the gravel at the halfway point. Additional retirements included Enea Bastianini, Lecuona, Alex Rins, and Joan Mir, with Rins forced out after contact with Mir in the opening laps.

Championship standings

Martin's second place consolidated his championship lead with 240 points. Bezzecchi's podium moved him back to second in the standings with 209 points, 31 behind Martin. Ogura remains third with 203 points despite his retirement, followed by Marc Marquez on 200 and Di Giannantonio on 199. Raul Fernandez's victory lifted him to sixth with 184 points, while Bagnaia sits eighth with 143.