MotoGP riders reflect on opening day of practice at Silverstone – Moto2/3 Reports/Results

MotoGP 2025

Round Seven – Silverstone – Friday

Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) stole the spotlight at Silverstone, firing in a scorching 1:57.295 on his final flying lap to set a new all-time lap record and end Friday on top at the Tissot Grand Prix of the United Kingdom. The lap demoted a resurgent Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) to second, with Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP) rounding out a strong afternoon for Yamaha in third.

MotoGP Rider Quotes

Alex Marquez – P1

“It was a positive day, with solid work done by the whole team. We struggled a bit more in FP1, while in Practice, after a set-up change, we made a decisive step forward. There’s still a lot to work on and to improve, as we’re all very fast. The feeling is good but you can’t catch a break at this track; we need to keep our heads down.”

Fabio Quartararo – P2

“We can be pretty happy! Especially on one lap, our performance is good. We seem to have improved our one-lap speed this year, and now we’re working hard on also making our race pace a bit better. Hopefully, we can find a solution, though I think we will be quite okay here. I was riding with the new aero today, and I think it helped a bit. I also think there’s more potential concerning my lap time, especially if the weather is good. Having three Yamahas inside the top 10 today sounds really good. I’m happy that also Álex and Jack are there, and Miguel is coming back too, step by step. Normally, you don’t want to see your teammate being that close, you want to have the biggest gap possible. But to see them getting closer and closer to the top is something I really like. This means we have a lot of data to analyse.”

Jack Miller – P3

“It‘s been the best Friday of the season for me and the team, a day where I felt fast from the early runs. I had a small crash early in the session, the bike had too much engine brake which I wasn‘t expecting, I clipped the curb slightly and went down. But the team in the garage did a great job fixing it quickly. Since I only have one bike with the new chassis, it was important to get back out there. I did all my laps alone, which makes the result even more satisfying. The pace is good and I feel very comfortable on the bike, the Yamaha engineers are working really hard and good. Have some more in the pocket for tomorrow, let‘s try to challenge the other riders and see what we can do.”

Marc Márquez – P4

“The crash was my fault, as I closed the line a bit too much, but I must say that the medium tyre wasn’t performing as well as it was in the morning. There are still some adjustments to be made, but we’re not too far off Alex, on a track where I struggled quite a lot last year. The updated weather forecasts seem to indicate a lower chance of rain, but even if it does rain tomorrow morning, we’ll use the time to keep working – as back in Le Mans, the feeling in wet conditions wasn’t perfect.”

Marco Bezzecchi – P5

“I began the weekend positively. It went quite well. I’m pleased with this first day. I already felt good this morning, and we managed to make a few additional improvements in the afternoon. There are three heavy braking zones at Silverstone, but the rest of the track is smooth and flowing and the RS-GP25 has consistently performed well here. Of course, we still need to make further enhancements, but the bike operates effectively at this circuit”.

Fabio Di Giannantonio – P6

“It was a good day, finally I’m back with my feeling with the bike. We are working in the right direction, understanding many things, it happened during the last couple of races and today even more. For sure, it’s a long way to the top, but I’m enjoying again with the bike. I was happy with the work of the team too, now I can think much more on the lines and the body position, and I can improve myself, this is very important in MotoGP in order to be faster. If the wheather changes, it would be good to have some wet practices because I want to improve myself and the setup on the bike in the rain. In any case, in both conditions we will try to make steps forward.”

Francesco Bagnaia – P7

“In the last part of the session, we were able to make a small step forward and I felt more comfortable. We’re working on making the bike turn a little bit better and improving corner speed, while reducing front-end lock. The bike–medium tyre combination doesn’t seem to work too well at this track, so we have to rely on the soft option, which doesn’t guarantee the same level of stability. Alex (Márquez) seems to have found something, so we need to look at his data to have an even clearer picture of how to move forward.”

Johann Zarco – P8

“It’s a solid result to be straight into Q2. The morning session was challenging, but we made significant progress in practice. I was able to set a strong lap time, and I’m pleased with the work we’ve done. Tomorrow’s conditions will be important, our goal is to fight for a spot on the front row in qualifying and to do a strong Sprint, we’ve got potential”.

Alex Rins – P9

“It was a good day. We were able to be quite competitive. In Free Practice 1 I also felt quite good. It was a long time since I rode here. Last year I only did a few laps before withdrawing from the GP. But today was a good day. In the afternoon Practice, with our hot laps we were able to secure an entry for Q2. It’s quite great – three Yamahas in Q2 tomorrow! We are improving the bike compared to last year. The bike is more competitive and more agile, and this is helpful on a hot lap. I feel quite competitive in Sector 3 and 4. We improved our package, but tomorrow we still have work to do. Let’s see. If it’s dry, I think we can do a good Sprint and then let’s try to enjoy the Race.”

Fermin Aldeguer – P10

“I’m happy with this opening day here at Silverstone. The minimum goal was the direct seed to Q2 and we achieved it. We struggled a bit more compared to previous races, but also courtesy of Alex’s help, we finished with a great lap. Tomorrow we’ll be able to work on the race pace without any extra stress from qualifying, and maybe make some extra experience in the wet, which could be a factor.”

Joan Mir – P12

“During the day and especially this afternoon I was feeling great with the bike. My pace was really good, and I knew I had the speed to go to Q2 but in the last exit the situation changed a bit as I went with the soft front. I think tomorrow we won’t encounter what happened today, so I am not worried. I improved the lap time but missed those last three tenths to go direct to Q2. I am happy with my riding and how the bike is, so this is the positive to focus on from today – we know what we can achieve.”

Miguel Oliveira – P13

“The bike has made a good step forward on the fast lap and you can really feel the improvement. I saved some energy at the start of the session, doing fewer laps. On the first tire, I exited the pits too slowly and couldn‘t follow anyone, but I knew I could improve with the second tire. Luckily, I got to follow Jack for one lap and that helped. I wasn‘t expecting to be so close to the top ten, but it‘s a very welcome surprise. The bike is improving in all areas: the engine helps for sure, then we have a nice behavior from the electronics as well, which means we can use better the new rear tire, but the general handling of the bike has improved, so we can stop better and in these nice flowing corners the bike is turning well. It does everything what a normal bike should do.”

Maverick Viñales – P14

“The feeling is pretty good, but we are missing a little bit at the braking. When you lean on the bike, the rear tyre feels like ice, so I lost a lot in this area today. We are out of Q2, Q1 will be extremely hard tomorrow, but that’s how we learn and improve. Overall, the day has been positive, the pace was decent, but we just could not be precise enough at the braking. A good challenge awaits us this weekend!”

Franco Morbidelli – P15

“It was a tough day. I had a crash during the Practice, and from that moment on I struggled to be on top by the time attack. Then, in the middle of the session, I had an episode with Bezzecchi that unfortunately cost me a three place grid penalty on Sunday. We will try to twist the situation around tomorrow. The forecast is uncertain, in Le Mans we went fast on wet, but we have to be ready for whatever the weather brings.”

Luca Marini – P16

“We learned a lot today about what we need to unlock our full potential and this is always very important. Now with this data we can prepare well for Q1 tomorrow and aim to be in the fight. Just a few tenths missing at the end of the afternoon, I did my best lap on the third of the run so just missing a little bit with the grip and the drive. Let’s see the weather tomorrow for Q1, we will keep fighting like always and it’s clear there is potential there in the bike. Everything is so close, especially to get to Q2, we need to make that final step.”

Enea Bastianini – P18

“Considering our results here last year, I think that we had a bit more than what we showed today on track. However, we are still trying to close the gap on the other riders, and I need to do a reset every weekend because everything is different with the KTM. This is where we are at the moment. I am still struggling to turn properly, I don’t feel 100% comfortable with my position on the bike, so we are looking for some improvements with the team. I am hoping that the good news from yesterday about KTM will be a boost for all of us, and that the factory will continue helping us find ways to improve the performance of the package. We saw it was a bit complicated for the four of us today, so let’s see what the future holds.”

Raul Fernandez – P19

“It was a pretty good day. Maybe, looking at the result, you can’t see the work we did, but I know well that we are working in the right way. We just came from two very different circuits compared to Silverstone and here we had a little bit more work on the bike, trying to see how we can improve in the fast corners because there we lose a lot of time. But for the rest, I feel good with the bike, on the brakes I feel super good and I can use my riding style very well. The problem is, in the fast corners, I can’t create the speed for the straight and there we need to find something for tomorrow. This is the point where I’m losing almost all the time.”

Lorenzo Savadori – P20

“The Aprilia RS-GP25 is making progress. The elements we’ve been developing over several races are becoming more refined and are beginning to deliver positive results. We’ve never stopped, and we’re making the most of every race to continue the development process. A lot of material arrives from Noale, and I test everything new immediately in race conditions. It’s also great to see how fast Marco was”.

Aleix Espargaro – P21

“It’s good to be back with the Test Team to continue the positive work we have been doing. Already since Jerez we have seen a step forward and you can really feel Honda’s efforts. Today we were able to try some interesting things for the future, and I hope that the factory team can get these items soon. Let’s keep focused on our job and see what we can achieve tomorrow at one of my favourite tracks!”

Somkiat Chantra – P22

“It’s nice to be back with my team and racing again. Today was a challenging day because at some points, I still feel some pain. I need to get back into the rhythm again. I’ll try to take a step forward tomorrow because I know it’s a process, and I want to work hard to reach our goals.”

Ai Ogura

“This morning I felt quite OK with the bike. I was running not so fast on the second run, I was on my way to improve but wrong timing, the wrong amount of push and I crashed. After that I felt not really well with my right knee and we decided to skip the Practice this afternoon. Hopefully, overnight, my knee will get better and I hope to be fit for tomorrow. For now, I just do what I can and see what happens with my body. Hopefully, it’s going to be better.”

MotoGP Team Managers

Massimo Meregalli – Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team Director

“We achieved our goal of having both riders inside Q2. Fabio again set a very impressive lap time, which reflects just how good he is feeling on the bike and how well he is riding in general. It’s great to see Álex so competitive as well. He is working hard, and at the private Misano test he seems to have found something to help him feel more comfortable. We know he likes Silverstone a lot, so the team is keen for him to have a good weekend. And it’s not just our team that is performing well: Jack Miller is also inside the top-10, and Miguel Oliveira came close too. This underlines that Yamaha is steadily improving and heading in the right direction. However, it’s only Friday: no grid positions or points are secured yet. We need to keep working, because we know the competition in Silverstone can be stiff. But we are fully motivated to get good qualifying positions tomorrow and then, hopefully, do well in the Sprint.”

Gino Borsoi – Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP Team Director

“This is definitely a very positive start to the weekend not only for Prima Pramac Yamaha, but for all of Yamaha, with three YZR-M1s directly qualified for Q2. With Jack we‘ve been competitive since the morning session — you can tell he likes this track and is getting more and more comfortable on the bike. Not even the crash at the start of Practice distracted him from securing an excellent result. And I‘m very pleased to see Miguel in the top ten just minutes before the end of the session. In only his second race back, he‘s shown another important step forward.. It’s only the first day, but things look promising.”

Paolo Bonora – Aprilia Racing

“A strong start for Aprilia Racing, particularly for Marco, at a circuit that has always suited him and us. We’re continuing to work hard, as we know there are still aspects to fix ahead of the sprint. Although this is practically a brand-new track for Lorenzo, we’re pleased with his result and the development solutions we’re progressing”.

Davide Brivio – Trackhouse Team Principal

“First of all, we are sorry for Ai that he couldn’t manage to ride this afternoon but we think it was a good decision to take more rest, get some treatment and try to get back on the bike tomorrow. So, we only had Raul today and we need to work a little bit more. The bike was not working perfectly, so we have to fine-tune setup, especially on the electronic mapping and then we’ll see. Unfortunately, we need to recover tomorrow, so we have some work to do tonight. We have to work on a bike for Raul, we have to work on Ai’s body condition and we’ll try for tomorrow.”

MotoGP Practice Report

Early Drama and Fast Times

The session began with high drama as three crashes unfolded within the first 15 minutes — involving Miller, Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team), and Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team). Fortunately, all riders walked away uninjured.

Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) set the early benchmark, while Alex Rins (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) also impressed. By the halfway point, Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) had moved into the top five, while Marc Marquez languished outside the top 10.

With 25 minutes to go, times began to tumble. Maverick Viñales (Red Bull KTM Tech3) briefly went fastest before Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol) edged ahead. At that point, the top five — Mir, Viñales, Bezzecchi, Quartararo, and Fabio Di Giannantonio — were covered by just 0.098s.

Title Contenders Hit Back

With Rins in tow, Marc Marquez responded with a 1:57.866 to take control of the session, followed closely by Rins in P2. But Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR) then delivered a surprise with a classy lap to take over P1, before Marquez responded once more — only to be narrowly edged out by Di Giannantonio, who went fastest by 0.006s.

Bezzecchi then threw down the gauntlet with a 1:57.667 to go top, as Alex Marquez found himself outside the top 10. But the Spanish GP winner dug deep, reclaiming the lead with a 1:57.613 that pushed Viñales out of Q2 contention.

Final Flurry Seals the Order

In a frenetic final few minutes, Miller jumped to P2 before Quartararo put in a blistering 1:57.342 to take provisional P1 — until Alex Marquez lit up the timesheets on his final lap to reclaim the top spot with a lap that will be hard to beat.

Bagnaia, who had spent much of the session outside the top 10, improved to secure P7, while Marc Marquez slotted into P4 — both Ducati factory riders doing enough to reach Q2.

Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) snatched the final Q2 place in P10, denying Acosta and Joan Mir, who missed out by less than a tenth.

MotoGP Silverstone Practice Times

Manuel Gonzalez stamped his authority on Friday at the British Grand Prix with a blistering 2:02.111 — a new all-time Moto2 lap record — to finish 0.4s clear of teammate Senna Agius in a commanding performance by the Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP squad.

Third fastest was Filip Salač (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team), who rebounded strongly from an early crash to end the day just over half a second off Gonzalez’s benchmark.

Home favourite Jake Dixon (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) briefly led the session during the early stages, but FP1 pacesetter Gonzalez soon hit his stride. With 15 minutes remaining, Joe Roberts (OnlyFans American Racing Team) emerged as Gonzalez’s closest challenger, just 0.130s adrift, with Dixon holding P3 ahead of Aron Canet (Fantic Racing Lino Sonego) and Agius.

In the final minutes, a flurry of fast laps reshuffled the order. Shadowing Dixon, Salač surged to the top before Agius eclipsed him with a stunning lap of his own — briefly setting a new lap record. However, Gonzalez responded with a sensational effort to retake P1 by four-tenths, cementing his place as the rider to beat heading into Saturday.

Diogo Moreira finished the day in an impressive P4, ahead of Barry Baltus (Fantic Racing Lino Sonego), while rookie sensation Daniel Holgado (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) continued to impress, securing P7 and an automatic Q2 spot.

Dixon closed out Friday in P8 at his home round, followed by Roberts and Jorge Navarro (KLINT Forward Factory Team). Also progressing directly to Q2 were Ivan Ortola, Deniz Öncü, Izan Guevara, and Albert Arenas.

Meanwhile, Aron Canet’s late-session crash cost him dearly — the 2024 British GP podium finisher now faces the challenge of progressing through Q1 on Saturday.

Silverstone Moto2 Practice Times

Moto2 Championship Standings

Moto3

With just 35 minutes to lock in a top 14 spot and direct passage to Q2, the afternoon Moto3 session was predictably frantic — but rookie Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) emerged from the chaos in style, clocking a new lap record of 2:09.104 to top the timesheets for the first time in his Moto3 career.

Carpe, already a Round 1 podium finisher, was in commanding form throughout, impressively leading the way on a track he’s seeing for the first time — yet another sign of his fast-developing racecraft.

David Almansa (Leopard Racing) also shone, putting in consistent solo laps to secure P2, while Britain’s own Scott Ogden (CIP Green Power) gave the home crowd something to cheer about, grabbing third at the chequered flag.

Joel Kelso (LEVELUP-MTA) held on to fourth despite late-session technical issues, with Luca Lunetta (SIC58 Squadra Corse) rounding out the top five.

Joel Kelso – P4

“It was a really positive day. We focussed on race pace using the harder compound, which was important because Silverstone is a very demanding track on tyres. Even with the hard tyre we were among the fastest, which shows we are on the right path. Unfortunately, we had a small mechanical issue at the end, but we’re confident it will be sorted for tomorrow. I am ready and pumped for Q2.”

Championship leader Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) finished in sixth, ahead of David Muñoz (LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP) in P7.

Jacob Roulstone (Red Bull KTM Tech3) secured eighth, just edging out Ryusei Yamanaka (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI), who bounced back well after being suspended from FP1 for disobeying marshals at Le Mans.

Jacob Roulstone – P8

“I had not realised I was in Q2 until I got back to the pit box, so I am quite happy to finish the day with this result to be honest. Practice was a bit chaotic in some ways, but this afternoon the feeling was quite good for us, and I improved some points on myself, which I am happy with. We still lack a little bit of something to get closer to the front, but let’s continue working that way for tomorrow.”

Nicola Carraro (Rivacold Snipers Team) slotted into P10, while Angel Piqueras (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI) will be looking to improve from P11.

Guido Pini (LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP), Dennis Foggia, and Maximo Quiles (both from CFMOTO Valresa Aspar Team) rounded out the top 14, with Quiles leaving it late to sneak into Q2.

Just missing the cut were Valentin Perrone (Red Bull KTM Tech3) and Cormac Buchanan (DENSSI Racing – BOE), both falling short by less than a tenth. Expect them to be strong contenders in Q1 on Saturday.

Silverstone Moto3 Practice Times