MotoGP Sprint at Silverstone: Martin Wins, Bezzecchi Finishes Third. Ducati and Marc Marquez Struggle

Jorge Martin dominates the Sprint Race at the British Grand Prix in Silverstone. The Aprilia rider solidifies his lead in the MotoGP overall standings: after securing pole position just a few hours earlier, the 2024 world champion led the race with authority from start to finish.

It was a great Saturday for Aprilia, which—following its impressive performance in official qualifying—also dominated the Sprint Race, placing three riders on the podium: behind Jorge Martin came the outstanding Japanese rider Ai Ogura, second in the overall standings, and Marco Bezzecchi, who staged a remarkable comeback despite being in truly precarious physical condition.

The top Ducati rider was Alex Marquez (Gresini), who finished fourth ahead of Fabio Di Giannantonio (VR46). Behind them were Joan Mir and Franco Morbidelli. The bikes from the factory Ducati team struggled immensely: Marc Marquez, who dropped off drastically in the final stages of the race, finished only in ninth place, while his teammate Pecco Bagnaia finished as low as 17th. Something isn’t right at Borgo Panigale. Raul Fernandez crashed while running in sixth place.

Sprint race finishing order:
Martin
Ogura
Bezzecchi
A. Marquez
Di Giannantonio
Acosta
Mir
Morbidelli
M. Marquez
Moreira

Martin’s result comes after a record-breaking qualifying session: the Spanish champion set a new track record at the British circuit with a time of 1:56.160, ahead of Raul Fernandez and Ogura on the front row. It was a total domination by Aprilia, which placed four bikes in the top five positions on the starting grid, with Di Giannantonio fourth and Bezzecchi fifth. Bezzecchi’s podium finish is nothing short of sensational, considering the journey the rider from Romagna had to endure to make it to Silverstone. At the Sachsenring, before the summer break, he crashed during qualifying at 160 km/h, sustaining a comminuted clavicle fracture and undergoing surgery. “I know I’m not 100% yet, but I really hope to be able to feel okay,” he had said on the eve of the British race weekend.