Raul Fernandez put a disappointing Saturday behind him by leading every lap and winning Sunday's British Grand Prix at Silverstone, claiming his first Grand Prix victory of the season and becoming the 12th different winner in the last 12 British GPs. The Trackhouse rider crossed the line 2.5 seconds clear of championship leader Jorge Martin, with Martin's Aprilia teammate Marco Bezzecchi completing an all-Aprilia podium in third.
- Fernandez becomes the 12th different Silverstone winner in a row
- Ai Ogura crashes out from second in the standings
- Martin extends championship lead to 31 points over Bezzecchi
Fernandez untouchable from lights to flag
Fernandez made amends for a sprint-race error a day earlier with a flawless launch from second on the grid, snatching the holeshot ahead of Bezzecchi as polesitter Martin got caught up battling fellow Aprilia rider Ai Ogura through the opening corners. Marc Marquez capitalised to move into third before Martin fought his way back past the Ducati rider soon after. The battle behind allowed Fernandez to immediately build a healthy advantage, with the Spaniard setting a new lap record just a few laps into the race.
Mid-race drama as four riders crash in quick succession
The fight behind the leader turned chaotic soon after. Enea Bastianini, Iker Lecuona and Cal Crutchlow all crashed out across Laps 6 and 7. A lap later, Francesco Bagnaia also went down, eliminating the factory Ducati rider from contention.
On Lap 9, Martin passed teammate Bezzecchi to move into second, while Alex Marquez had worked his way up to third. One of the defining moments of the race – and potentially the championship – came a few laps later when Ogura crashed out while running fifth. The incident marked the Japanese rider's first race retirement of the season and dropped him from second in the championship standings.
At the front, Fernandez was in a class of his own. With five laps remaining, he held a lead of more than four seconds over Martin, although the gap narrowed slightly in the closing laps. Martin was never close enough to mount a challenge, and Fernandez eventually took the chequered flag 2.5 seconds clear. Bezzecchi completed an all-Aprilia podium in third, marking a return to the podium in his first race back since surgery.
Alex Marquez finished fourth as the leading Ducati rider, ahead of Pedro Acosta and Fabio Di Giannantonio. Marc Marquez could only manage seventh after struggling with tyre wear throughout the race, while Brad Binder claimed eighth for a second consecutive top-10 finish. Luca Marini finished ninth, with Diogo Moreira completing the top ten.
Championship standings
Martin's second-place finish extends his championship lead to 31 points over Bezzecchi, who moves up to second in the standings following Ogura's crash. Marc Marquez now sits fourth, 40 points behind Martin after a difficult weekend, while Fernandez's maiden win of the season reduces his deficit to 56 points with ten rounds remaining.
Unnatee Gidithuri
Stephen Raj Antony
