Trackhouse Aprilia Racing’s Raul Fernandez delivered a masterful performance at Silverstone on Sunday, leading from the opening lap to claim victory in the British MotoGP. Fernandez surged past pole-sitter Jorge Martin at the first turn and maintained a dominant pace, building a lead of over four seconds before crossing the finish line 2.54 seconds ahead of the pack. This win marks the Spaniard’s second career MotoGP victory and his first since the Australian Grand Prix last year, serving as a significant turnaround following his crash during Saturday’s sprint race.
Reflecting on his performance, Fernandez expressed his relief and satisfaction, stating, “I am really happy for the team. Yesterday (Saturday) I was quite frustrated after my mistake. But we are human and it is part of the sport.”
For championship leader Jorge Martin, the race presented early challenges when his bike’s ride-height device failed to disengage at the first turn, causing him to slip behind Marc Marquez and Marco Bezzecchi. Although Martin fought back to overtake Bezzecchi for second place by the ninth lap, he could not close the gap on the leader. Despite the setback, Martin’s runner-up finish allowed him to extend his championship lead to 31 points. “The results here are a big boost of confidence for me and the team,” Martin remarked. “It seems like we found a bit of direction to get the momentum on our side now. The race was fantastic. I made a small mistake at the start, but I am glad I was able to fight back.”
Marco Bezzecchi secured third place, a result that moved him into second in the overall standings and marked his first Sunday finish since his victory at the Italian Grand Prix in late May. Meanwhile, Ai Ogura suffered his first retirement of the season, leaving him 37 points behind Martin in the title race. Defending world champion Marc Marquez struggled throughout the afternoon, eventually finishing seventh, which dropped him to fourth in the championship standings.
The remainder of the top ten saw Alex Marquez finish in fourth place after a late-race error, followed by KTM’s Pedro Acosta in fifth and VR46 Racing’s Fabio Di Giannantonio in sixth. The victory at Silverstone continues a notable trend, marking the twelfth consecutive different Grand Prix winner at the iconic British circuit.
Fernandez swept past pole-sitter Martin into turn one and never looked back, stretching his advantage to more than four seconds before taking the chequered flag 2.54 seconds clear.
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