Recapping the British Grand Prix from a crazy Sunday at Silverstone

MotoGP 2025

Round Seven – Silverstone

As they say, timing is everything in sport, and for Aprilia Racing, Marco Bezzecchi’s triumph at the Tissot Grand Prix of the United Kingdom arrived at a truly pivotal moment.

Sunday at Silverstone was laden with drama: we witnessed crashes from top riders including Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team), Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP), and Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team).

Adding to the unfolding narrative, Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) endured a heartbreaking technical issue while leading the race.

In the midst of these unpredictable events, Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR) expertly navigated the chaos to secure a fantastic second-place finish, trailing only the victorious Italian.

Notably, Marc Marquez, having benefited from a red-flagged stoppage that allowed him to restart, showcased incredible resilience to bounce back and claim third in a podium battle that raged to the very last metres of an unforgettable Silverstone race.

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MotoGP Race Report

Straight from the lights out, drama immediately unfolded. From the middle of the front row, Alex Marquez launched brilliantly, initially seizing the lead. However, as he applied the front brake heading into Turn 1, the front end inexplicably folded without any warning. In a flash, the #73 machine was down and seemingly out of the Grand Prix—or so it appeared at that moment—as Marc Marquez took command ahead of Quartararo and Bagnaia.

By the end of the first lap, a significant incident occurred at the Vale chicane involving Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) and Aleix Espargaro (Honda HRC Test Team), both of whom crashed together. This incident would eventually necessitate a red flag due to a substantial oil spillage. Yet, before that decision was made, Grand Prix leader Marc Marquez himself crashed at Turn 11! In a remarkable turn of events, the top two contenders in the World Championship had both suffered falls.

Crucially, because fewer than three laps had been completed, all riders remained eligible for the restart, which would be a full 19-lap Grand Prix. This effectively served as a “get out of jail free card” for both Marquez brothers, though they would each be forced to switch to their less-preferred number two machines for the restart.

Take two of the Grand Prix saw Bagnaia grab the holeshot into Turn 1. However, at Turn 3, Quartararo expertly struck to pounce into an early lead. Marc Marquez then passed Alex Marquez, and shortly after, Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP) also overtook Alex at Brooklands.

Quartararo’s advantage stood at 1.2 seconds by the end of Lap 1. At Turn 3, Miller aggressively carved his way past Marc Marquez for third position, creating an all-Yamaha 1-2 at Brooklands. Following this, the Australian boldly launched up the inside of Bagnaia, while Marc Marquez ran wide at Copse, causing him to drop behind Zarco.

Quartararo’s lead now stretched to 2.4 seconds. Subsequently, Zarco passed Pecco for third place. Sensing an opportunity, Marc Marquez also moved through. Then, Copse Corner proved problematic for both factory Ducatis. Marquez and Pecco both ran wide after separate incidents, a costly error that saw them plummet to ninth and tenth respectively, leaving them with significant work to do.

Things rapidly went from bad to worse for Pecco. Navigating through Luffield, the front end of his bike gave way, ending the Italian’s Grand Prix. Meanwhile, Bezzecchi had now climbed to third, ahead of Zarco, with Alex Marquez in fifth. Quartararo, still at the front, held a commanding 3.9-second gap over Miller. The Grand Prix was proving to be exceptionally dramatic.

A critical point to note was the tire choice: the current front four – Quartararo, Miller, Bezzecchi, and Zarco – were all running the soft front Michelin tyre, a compound that had not yet completed a full race distance. The question of its durability loomed large.

On Lap 6 of 19, Bezzecchi and Zarco successfully overtook Miller, who dropped from second to fourth in a matter of seconds. All eyes were now on Bezzecchi to see what pace he could unleash. The gap to Quartararo was 5.3 seconds, quickly reduced to a flat five seconds as Bezzecchi shaved three tenths off the disadvantage in clear air.

Elsewhere, Marc Marquez was now right behind Alex Marquez, with the two brothers in sixth and seventh, behind Morbidelli and Miller, and just ahead of Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol). Marc then expertly sliced past his brother at Vale. On the very next lap, the Championship leader picked off Miller. Simultaneously, Alex Marquez made a crucial mistake at Vale, costing him both time and a position, as Mir moved ahead.

The fastest lap of the race, an impressive 1:59.770, was set by Bezzecchi as the Italian relentlessly eroded Quartararo’s lead. On Lap 10 of 19, the gap was down to 4.7 seconds, and on the subsequent lap, it further decreased to 4.4 seconds. Meanwhile, Marc Marquez had advanced to fourth, ahead of Morbidelli, and now faced a three-second deficit to catch Zarco for a podium spot.

Suddenly, Quartararo was seen raising his arm. A technical issue had struck: his rear ride height device appeared to be stuck. Despite his desperate efforts to disengage it for more than half a lap, the YZR-M1 refused to respond. It was a heartbreaking moment for Quartararo and Yamaha, as a potential return to the top step of the podium was cruelly snatched away.

However, Quartararo’s gut-wrenching exit from the Grand Prix directly benefited Aprilia, as the lead was effectively handed to Bezzecchi on a silver platter. The Italian was now 2.9 seconds ahead of Zarco, who, in turn, held a two-second lead over Marc Marquez. However, third place was far from secure for the title chase leader. Miller, Morbidelli, Alex Marquez, and Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) all remained firmly in contention for a Silverstone podium with five laps remaining.

In that intense podium battle, Miller and Alex Marquez were engaged in a brilliant duel, while Morbidelli desperately tried to cling onto Marc Marquez, who had established an eight-tenths advantage over the chasing pack. At the front, Bezzecchi maintained a comfortable four-second lead, as Zarco kept Marquez just over a second behind.

The final lap at Silverstone commenced. Bezzecchi held a commanding 4.6-second lead, but all eyes were fixed on the thrilling podium fight. At Turn 3, Morbidelli passed Marc Marquez, but the latter immediately bit back. Could Morbidelli respond again? Indeed he could. Copse Corner was his chosen spot. The question then became whether Marc Marquez would have the final say.

And he did. A superb exit from Turn 14 allowed Marquez to claim the inside line at Stowe, but the drama wasn’t over. Morbidelli aggressively plunged his Ducati down the inside at Vale, but running wide, his exit was compromised. Marquez then managed to shove his way back through on the cutback, just, and we mean just, earning a sensational third place. Alex Marquez finished right behind his brother and Morbidelli in that truly fantastic fight.

Up the road, however, there was pure elation for Bezzecchi and Aprilia. The Italian secured a debut win in Noale colors, and following his heroics at the French GP, Zarco claimed another fantastic second-place finish.

Acosta delivered some cracking middle to late-race pace, ultimately finishing in sixth ahead of Miller.

Luca Marini (Honda HRC Castrol) clinched what was an equal-best Honda result in eighth, but this was unfortunately wiped away post-race due to a 16-second tyre pressure penalty. This meant Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP), Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team), and Mir rounded out the top 10.

Maverick Viñales (Red Bull KTM Tech3), Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse MotoGP Team), Alex Rins (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), and the penalised Marini were the final points scorers in the UK.

Drama aplenty and a first victory for Aprilia in 2025—Silverstone, you truly delivered. Next, the paddock heads to MotorLand Aragon to do it all over again.

Silverstone MotoGP Results

Silverstone MotoGP Top Speeds

The average is from the best five speeds

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MotoGP Championship Standings