Bastianini wins as Bagnaia crashes
BASTIANINI WINS IN SILVERSTONE AS BAGNAIA CRASHES
Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) took his first victory of the season in a dramatic British GP Sprint.
Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) came out top at lights out and led a front group of four with Bastianini, Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) and Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team).
The quartet was reduced to a trio when championship leader Bagnaia crashed out halfway through the race.
Bastianini took the lead off Martin on Lap 6 and did not surrender the position from there.
15:50 – THANK YOU AND GOODBYE
And that’s it for action from the British GP for today – thank you for your company through the Sprint. We go again tomorrow for the full GP race, it’s lights out at 1pm UK time – see you then!
15:48 – BASTIANINI POST-RACE
“I’m very happy. It has been a very good fight with Jorge [Martin]; we pushed on the limit, the lap times were crazy! The whole Sprint has been crazy.
“It’s my first victory of the year, I’m so happy. I saw yesterday that my pace was good and Silverstone is one of my favourite tracks – it’s fantastic.”
15:44 – MARTIN POST-RACE
“It was really nice to race in Silverstone today.
“We made a mistake in qualifying, so it was difficult, starting from the second row. But at the start I gained first position, I was pushing like it was qualifying, and, finally, Enea [Bastianini] was superb, he was much stronger than me.
“But it was a nice way to pay tribute to Angel Nieto with his helmet design, so hopefully, tomorrow we can bring it to first position.”
15:38 – ESPARGARO POST-RACE
“I’m happy with our performance today, especially in qualifying, and in the Sprint I did everything I could.
“The pace was extremely fast; I knew that the Ducati boys would improve for the race, but I never expected that much! I was really on the limit, there was nothing more I could have done.
“But it was a nice race and, hopefully, tomorrow with he medium rear tyre we can push even more.”
10/10 – BASTIANINI WINS IN SILVERSTONE
Bastianini brings it home with about a second of an advantage at the front. Martin is runner-up, meaning the championship lead just remains with Bagnaia, and Espargaro completes the podium.
9/10 – RACE SETTLES
Bastianini now looks in a comfortable lead with Martin admitting that second is it today. He has a small buffer to Espargaro and, baring disaster, the race looks decided.
8/10 – M MARQUEZ DOWN
M Marquez too exits the race with a front end wash-out – his bike folds at Turn 16.
8/10 – ADVANTAGE BASTIANINI
Around half a second – and growing – now separates Bastianini and Martin. Espargaro doesn’t look to have anything to offer at the moment.
7/10 – BASTIANINI GAINS DISTANCE
So far, Martin can’t answer and Bastianini holds first with the smallest of buffers.
6/10 – BASTIANINI ATTACKS, TAKES THE LEAD
Bastianini launches an attack on Martin at Copse and the Pramac rider counters and the duo exchange punches. Martin holds firm for the moment, but Bastianini is relentless and makes a move stick after all at Stowe, sending it down the inside from a long way back.
6/10 – ESPARGARO ON THE HUNT
Espargaro is now the fastest of the top three and closing in on Bastianini. The top three now have just under three seconds over the rest of the field.
WHICH MOTOGP RACES ARE ON TNT SPORTS? WHAT IS DISCOVERY+?
will broadcast every MotoGP race, from the season opener in Qatar to the final race in Valencia on November 17.
The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is , where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination.
You can also watch TNT Sports through BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media.
5/10 – BAGNAIA DOWN
Front end wash-out for Bagnaia. Nothing he can do as his front tyre folds at Turn 4 and he goes down and out.
4/10 – TOP GROUP OF FOUR
The gaps between the top four are gradually decreasing again. They currently hold a healthy lead over M Marquez in fifth though – it looks like a four-horse race for the top.
3/10 – GAPS AT THE FRONT
Martin holds the lead and only Bastianini is able to match his pace. A half second gap is opening to Espargaro who, in turn, has a bit of a buffer to Bagnaia.
2/10 – CONTACT DOWN THE ORDER
Binder launches a move on Bagnaia for fourth but can’t make it stick. Instead, he makes contact with Acosta and aero goes flying. M Marquez capitalises to slot past them both into fifth.
1/10 – MARTIN STEALS THE LEAD AT LIGHTS OUT
Bagnaia barges a way past Espargaro’s inside to take the lead into Turn 1. However, it’s Martin who has the best get-away and pulls off a move past both to take the lead at Turn 3.
Bastianini too is in excellent form early on and moves up into second.
15:00 – WARM-UP LAP
The riders are out on the Silverstone Circuit for their warm-up lap.
14:55 – WEATHER REPORT AND TYRE NEWS
It’s 21 degrees Celsius in Silverstone with track temperatures in the mid 30s.
Everyone has opted for a soft rear tyre, but there is a mix of front tyre choices on the grid. The majority looks to have opted for the medium compound, but Esparago left the box on hard while Marc Marquez swapped from soft to hard. No confirmed tyre sheet yet though.
14:50 – MARTIN STATEMENT OF INTENT
Jorge Martin started the Grand Prix in outstanding fashion by topping Friday practice and is on the best way to make up for his crash last time out at the German Grand Prix:
“Perfection is difficult to achieve. But I felt really good. Straight away in the morning I felt good and we kept the same bike for the evening. Then we had some issues and tried to change things a bit. But overall, I felt good in terms of pace, in terms of time attack. Let’s see if we can keep the speed and the distance to our rivals.
“I feel in a really good form at the Moment; I feel I am able to do a lot of laps at the same lap time, trying to be really consistent, and I feel really good physically.”
“[Being fastest on Friday] 100 per cent helps a lot [to put the crash at the German GP behind]. It was difficult to come back after the holidays – I was really good at the beach! – but now we are here and the best way to start is being first. For sure, there are no doubts for the rest of the weekend.”
14:45 – BAGNAIA READY TO CONTINUE WHERE HE LEFT OFF
Francesco Bagnaia dominated the series in the last couple of Grand Prix and indeed went into the summer break as championship leader. The title defender is ready to keep this trend going in Silverstone:
“It was good to have a bit of a break after the German GP.
“I love the layout [at Silverstone]. It’s one of the nicest for sure, it’s very long and very smooth, not very bumpy, so it’s one of the greatest. This season we will discover a new weather because it has never been this hot. But I think we can enjoy it.”
14:40 – WHICH MOTOGP RACES ARE ON TNT SPORTS? WHAT IS DISCOVERY+?
TNT Sports will broadcast every MotoGP race, from the season opener in Qatar to the final race in Valencia on November 17.
The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination.
You can also watch TNT Sports through BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media.
14:35 – WHAT HAPPENED IN QUALIFYING
Aleix Espargaro delivered a stunning record lap to secure pole position at Silverstone, two tenths ahead of Francesco Bagnaia. Enea Bastianini completes the front row while Jorge Martin will start from the top of the second row.
1. Aleix Espargaro2. Francesco Bagnaia3. Enea Bastianini4. Jorge Martin5. Alex Marquez6. Brad Binder7. Marc Marquez8. Maverick Vinales9. Pedro Acosta13:30 – HELLO AND WELCOME
Good afternoon and thank you for joining our live text coverage of the British GP Sprint. The summer break is finally over and MotoGP is roaring back into action at the iconic Silverstone Circuit. Last time out, Francesco Bagnaia took the championship lead off Jorge Martin in a dramatic race. Now facing a 10-points deficit, the Pramac rider will be determined to clinch it back sooner rather than later. Can he do it right here in Great Britain? We’re about to find out!
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