MotoGP British Grand Prix Recap

BASTIANINI DOUBLES UP IN SILVERSTONE AS MARTIN CLINCHES CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD

Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) made it a dream double in Silverstone with victory in the Grand Prix race ahead of Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) who clinched the championship lead.

Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) stole the holeshot at lights out and led a breakaway group of five with Martin, Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing), Bastianini and Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP).

Bagnaia and Martin stepped things up halfway through the race and put distance between themselves and the rest of the quintet, Martin taking the lead off Bagnaia at Turn 3.

Bastianini made his way past Espargaro to reel the duo back in and swiftly claimed his struggling teammate Bagnaia who had lost ground to Martin.

With three laps to go, Bastianini had caught Martin and piled pressure on the Pramac rider.

An error at Turn 3 on the penultimate lap saw Martin go wide and Bastianini took the open invitation to clinch the lead. He immediately pulled a gap and brought the win home.

14:17 – THANK YOU AND GOODBYE

That’s it for the British GP for another season – thank you for your company today. MotoGP action will return in two weeks from now with the Austrian GP in Spielberg, taking place on the weekend of 16th to 18th August. See you then!

14:16 – BASTIANINI POST-RACE

“It’s been a very difficult race because I made some mistakes at the start and was in fourth place.

“But afterwards, I was confident to be able to be back at it again.

“I closed the gap to Aleix [Espargaro] and I closed the gap to Pecco [Bagnaia]. On the last three or four laps, Jorge [Martin] pushed a lot and it was too difficult to close the gap to him.

“But at the end, in the last two laps I always have something more and today has been the same.

“It’s fantastic; incredible to be back at the top in the real GP.”

14:09 – MARTIN POST-RACE

“Today, paying tribute to Angel Nieto [with the special livery], it was fantastic to finish on the podium.

“I knew Enea [Bastianini] was a bit stronger at the end of the race. When I was with Pecco [Bagnaia] I tried to manage the fuel consumption and when I saw a chance, I tried.

“The pace was outstanding as always, I think we are reaching a level that is crazy and we are always on the limit.

“And as soon as I saw Enea was catching, I tried to stay consistent and manage a bit for the end, but he was much stronger today, he was on another level.

“We took back the championship lead, so I’m very happy with that. We move on to Austria.”

14:01 – BAGNAIA POST-RACE

“I was trying to manage the rear tyre well, but then I started to lose the front.

“The front was dropping a bit and when Martin overtook me, I just tried to follow him. But I lost the front again at Turn 7 and then said, okay, I already crashed yesterday, it’s better to finish the race.

“It was very difficult in the last few laps, also with the rear grip.

“But anyway, I’m happy. The weather made the race better – it was colder, so it was easier to manage the tyres. I hope to see a better result in the next race.”

20/20 – BASTIANINI WINS IN SILVERSTONE

It’s a dream double in Silverstone for Bastianini who brings the win home. Martin finishes runner-up, four seconds ahead of Bagnaia who manages to hold M Marquez behind him.

20/20 – BASTIANINI HAS IT COVERED

Bastianini puts distance between himself and Martin who settles for second with Bagnaia three seconds behind.

19/20 – BASTIANINI CLINCHES P1

Martin goes wide at Turn 3 and Bastianini takes the open invitation to take the lead.

18/20 – TOP DUO

Bastianini has now closed the gap to Martin down.

17/20 – BASTIANINI CLOSES IN

Bastianini is taking small margins out of Martin but, for now, a gap remains.

16/20 – MARQUEZ INTO FOURTH

M Marquez slots past Espargaro and now has his sights set on Bagnaia who looks to be struggling now.

15/20 – SITUATION AT THE FRONT

Bastianini is pulling away from Bagnaia but so far can’t make too much of an impression on Martin.

14/20 – BASTIANINI INTO SECOND

Bagnaia looked in trouble and under pressure from Bastianini. He goes wide at Luffield and Bastianini slots past.

14/20 – MARTIN ESCAPES

Martin has dropped the hammer at the front and put half a second already between himself and the factory Ducatis.

13/20 – BASTIANINI ON THE CHARGE

Having quickly dispatched Espargaro, Bastianini took miles out of the top duo and has closed right back in on them now.

12/20 – MARTIN TAKES THE LEAD

Martin attacks at Turn 3 and makes it stick.

11/20 – TOP DUO

It has now definitely turned into a top duo at the front with Bagnaia and Martin increasingly running away from Espargaro. Bastianini reacts and slots past Espargaro.

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.

10/20 – GAP OPENS AT THE FRONT

Bagnaia and Martin have stepped things up and put a gap to Espargaro over the course of half a lap, aided by an error from Espargaro at Village.

9/20 – NO CHANGES AT THE FRONT

We still have a leading group of five with Bagnaia, Martin, Espargaro, Bastianini and M Marquez. They hold well more than two seconds over Di Giannantonio in sixth.

8/20 – FIGHT FOR SIXTH

While there are no changes in the top group, the fight is on for sixth between A Marquez and Di Giannantonio who exchange punches. The latter comes out top, but they have sacrificed plenty of time and allowed Acosta to close in on them.

7/20 – WEATHER UPDATE

There were some spots of rain on the warm-up lap, but it looks like we are being spared any weather drama.

6/20 – GAPS COME DOWN

Espargaro has now well and truly reeled Martin in and we have a top group of five, A Marquez just losing touch in sixth.

5/20 – ORDER REMINDER

It’s Bagnaia and Martin at the front with a slight gap to Espargaro and Bastianini who now have company in the Gresini duo.

4/20 – BAGNAIA’S ESCAPE HALTED

Martin has reeled Bagnaia right back in and Espargaro is going with him. He can’t quite shake off Bastianini with M Marquez not too far behind.

3/20 – STRUGGLES FOR BASTIANINI

The only way is down for Bastianini at the moment who falls behind Espargaro and only just manages to stay ahead of M Marquez.

2/20 – BAGNAIA SEEKS ESCAPE

Bagnaia tries to escape at the front and puts some distance between himself and his chasers. Behind, an error from Bastianini sees him fall behind Martin.

1/20 – BAGNAIA STEALS THE HOLESHOT

Dream launch for Bagnaia who shoots into the lead followed by Bastianini. Espargaro is left hung out to dry by Martin who slots into third.

Meanwhile, Binder’s KTM refused to start at all.

13:00 – WARM-UP LAP

The riders are out on the Silverstone Circuit for their warm-up lap. There’s drama already with some spots of rain.

12:55 – WEATHER REPORT AND TYRE NEWS

It has cooled down a bit in Silverstone with temperatures now on 20 degrees Celsius, making the front tyre choice very difficult.

It’s medium rear all around, but there are both hard and medium fronts on the grid.

12:50 – BAGNAIA INSISTS WINNING PACE IS THERE

Despite crashing out of the Sprint, Francesco Bagnaia says he is in great shape at Silverstone and keen to make up for the error:

“I’m happy that I understand why I crashed, that makes things easier and is super helpful for the long race.

“I started well, but then the rear height device didn’t engage and I had issues at Corners 2 and 3 and it was difficult to accelerate. I was struggling a bit with the rear grip for the first lap and a half, but then the feeling was good again. I was able to push and I did the best lap. But I hit the apex too early at Turn 4 and I lost the front. It’s a shame because the pace to win the race was there.

“The real race is Sunday; it will be a good fight for the win.

“I prefer the medium rear compound; it’s more stable, the grip is more understandable. So I think it will be better for us. The front tyre could be a problem – I think, without the hard compound, Aleix [Espargaro] would have won the Sprint. I was watching him and he was struggling on corner entry under braking, so it’s not an easy choice.”

12:45 – ESPARGARO HOPING FOR SUNDAY GLORY

Silverstone traditionally is a very happy hunting ground for Aleix Espargaro and he proved so once more with pole position and a Sprint podium yesterday. The Spaniard is hoping to keep the momentum going:

“I’m very happy overall, it was a good Saturday. I was expecting to have something more in the last part of the Sprint, but Enea [Bastianini] and Jorge [Martin] were extremely good. I never expected the pace they proposed, it was extremely fast.

“We’ll try again in the long race, with the medium tyre things will be a little bit different.

“Sunday will be a very beautiful day. This circuit is very special to me and starting from pole position with the livery tribute to Aprilia, probably one of the most iconic Aprilias of all time, of the most iconic Aprilia rider of all time, Max Biaggi; to be fighting for the victory with this livery will be magic. I will try my best – hopefully, Max will be pushing me a bit!”

12:40 – CAUSE FOR CONCERN FOR MARTIN

Despite finishing second in the Sprint, Jorge Martin admitted that he experienced some issues on track and will need to step things up:

“It’s been a positive weekend overall, though I don’t feel at 100 per cent with the bike.

“It was a difficult Sprint, more so than we expected. I had some issues with the fuel consumption, so I had to race with less power – that was not good. And I missed a bit of confidence at some corners under braking.

“We need to make a step for the long race; hopefully, we can solve it with the medium rear and if not, we’ll try to make some changes.”

12:35 – BASTIANINI KEEN TO CARRY MOMENTUM FORWARD

Having returned to the top step of the podium yesterday, Enea Bastianini is hoping to continue the second half of the season in the same way:

“After 10 months without a victory, it’s beautiful to be back.

“The race has been complicated because Jorge [Martin] pushed a lot, especially during the first laps, and it wasn’t easy for me to stay close to him. But in the end I modified some lines and improved a little bit. With four laps to go, I overtook him. It was important to gain some distance and be alone on the last lap. I can be satisfied with my race – it was good!

“Usually, my problem is qualifying. During Sunday my pace is always good. It’s important now to always be on the front row and I have to continue like this.

“We have to be realistic; 55 points [in the champonship standings] aren’t a lot but also are a lot. But at the moment we have to think about the race on track, to always be on top. It’s important for me to be consistent during the second half of the season.”

12:30 – 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.

12:25 – WHAT HAPPENED IN THE SPRINT

Enea Bastianini clinched his first win of the season in Saturday’s MotoGP Sprint at Silverstone ahead of Jorge Martin and pole sitter Aleix Espargaro. Championship leader Francesco Bagnaia and Marc Marquez both crashed.

12:20 – 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 Acosta12:15 – HELLO AND WELCOME!

Good afternoon and thank you for joining our live text coverage of the British Grand Prix 2024. The summer break is finally over and MotoGP is roaring back into action at the iconic Silverstone Circuit.

A dramatic Sprint yesterday already added new twists and turns to the raving championship fight between Jorge Martin and Francesco Bagnaia who are now only separated by a single point in the table. However, it were Aleix Espargaro and Enea Bastianini who took pole position and the Sprint win respectively and will be keen to feature at the sharp end once more today.

Who will have the perfect summer break return in Silverstone? We’re about to find out!

discovery+ is the streaming home of the Olympic Games, and the only place you can watch every moment of Paris 2024 this summer