- Silverstone is rocked by stormy conditions as MotoGP resumes after the summer break. A dry Friday at the long and tricky circuit is followed by a rainy and wet Saturday in England.
- Fernandez rebounds superbly from a Free Practice crash Saturday morning to cut through Q1 and post the 5th fastest lap in qualification. He starts from the second row with his personal best ranking.
- Pol Espargaro gets back in the saddle of his GASGAS RC16 and posts a decent 15th in the rain to then finish 16th in the Sprint
- Jake Dixon stokes home fans’ excitement by consistently setting fast lap-times in Moto2™ and qualifying with the 15th best effort for the GASGAS Aspar Team. Ryusei Yamanaka is the top Moto3™ rep in 19th.
The UK climate was true to stereotype for the thirteenth running of the British Grand Prix at Silverstone and since the race set up shop at the time-honored circuit back in 2010. A cool, windy day of practice and initial times for qualification on Friday was followed by intense rainfall and lower temperatures through the first part of Saturday. The dash for Q1 and Q2 took place in a deluge, and with riders easing their way around the long course of 18 corners with lower grip and poor visibility due to the spray.
Augusto Fernandez found the gravel in Turn 1 of the revised layout Saturday morning but the Spaniard regrouped and rode excellently to make his way through Q1 and occupy the second row of the grid after his efforts in Q2. Pol Espargaro endured an exhilarating first day back in MotoGP action since March on Friday and was swiftly back to competitiveness on Saturday. His 15th position through the rain showed his experience and class.
The weather cleared up by the time of the Sprint but the track was still damp and treacherous. 10 laps of measured aggression saw Fernandez in the mix as he ran close to the top four. #37 controlled his pace, grip and potential to score points with 8th and register his best Saturday of 2023 to-date. Espargaro was eager to see the checkered flag for his first race classification since the end of 2022. Pol used his experience and his skills to battle once more and bring the bike home in 16th. It was another step in the Spaniard’s recuperation and recovery from injury.
Double the laps and get ready for more. The British Grand Prix should roar into life with Silverstone dry and busy with race fans. MotoGP gets on the gas from 14.00 CEST.
Augusto Fernandez, 5th in qualifying, 8th in the Sprint: “A good day and I felt decent in the wet. We adapted quickly. Qualifying went well and then I tried everything on the first laps of the Sprint. We were quite close to the KTM guys, so, good. A positive day. I’m hopeful for a better rhythm in the dry tomorrow than we had on Friday. The top five might be a step too far but we’ll aim for the top ten and see where we can arrive.”
Pol Espargaro, 15th in qualifying, 16th in the Sprint: “I didn’t know what to expect today. The track was wet but then half-half for the Sprint. It was a bit difficult and tricky! My plan was to finish the race and get to the pitbox because the risk level was a bit high for my first GP back. If it’s dry tomorrow then we’ll go for it a bit more!”
Nicolas Goyon, GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 Team Manager: “What a day to begin the second half of the season. When we woke up this morning we knew anything could happen in this weather. Augusto did an amazing job coming from Q1 to Q2 and then to qualify on the second row. It was his best this year and a great achievement. He had a decent race to score his first Sprint points; a good feat for a rookie. Tomorrow he will start from P5 again and we know he will perform. Pol had a promising day. These conditions were not the best for him but he did well for P15. He started well in the Sprint, he learned and he finished the race, which was his overall goal. He can build from this point.”
Results Qualifying MotoGP British Grand Prix
1. Marco Bezzecchi (ITA) Ducati 2.15.359
2. Jack Miller (AUS) KTM +0.270
3. Alex Marquez (ESP) Ducati +0.412
5. Augusto Fernandez (ESP) GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 +0.742
15. Pol Espargaro (ESP) GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 2:18.118 (Q1)
Results MotoGP Sprint British Grand Prix
1. Alex Marquez (ESP) Ducati 21:52.317
2. Marco Bezzecchi (ITA) Ducati +0.366
3. Maverick Viñales (ESP) Aprilia +3.374
8. Augusto Fernandez (ESP) GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 +9.850
16. Pol Espargaro (ESP) GASGAS Factory Racing Tech3 +27.693
Moto3 and Moto2
GASGAS Aspar Team’s Ryusei Yamanaka and David Alonso battled through the worst of the wet Silverstone ‘stage’ on Saturday. Both riders felt their way around the English curves – Alonso for the first time in the heat of Moto3 competition – and the Japanese logged the faster lap-time; placing 19th while the young Columbian was out of luck in 28th.
Jake Dixon carried the bright spotlight of attention at his home Grand Prix and after winning the previous Moto2 race in the Netherlands. Jake was among the pace setters throughout the sessions and was unlucky to crash exiting the final turn of the lap in Q2; the spill meant he lacked time to pick up and log a faster lap. He qualified 15th. Izan Guevara entered the top ten of the time sheets for the first time in the dowsed Free Practice session but the Moto2 rookie was also a faller during the day as Silverstone provided yet another chapter in his intermediate class education. The Spaniard will line-up for the 17-lap GP in 20th.
British Grand Prix MotoGP photographs can be found HERE
Results Qualifying Moto3 British Grand Prix
1. Jaume Masia (ESP) Honda 2:25.072
2. Scott Ogden (GBR), Honda +0.363
3. Daniel Holgado (ESP) KTM +0.535
19. Ryusei Yamanaka (JPN) GASGAS Aspar Team 2:27.019 (Q1)
28. David Alonso (COL) GASGAS Aspar Team 2:13.221 (Q1)
Results Qualifying Moto2 British Grand Prix
1. Pedro Acosta (ESP) 2:16.953
2. Fermin Aldeguer (ESP) +0.700
3. Zonta Van de Goorbergh (NED) +0.711
15. Jake Dixon (GBR) GASGAS Aspar Team 2:19.589
20. Izan Guevara (ESP) GASGAS Aspar Team 2:20.023 (Q1)
PRESS CONTACT
EVANGELIA SISSIS