Fernandez floors rivals with Silverstone masterclass

Raul Fernandez delivers a commanding ride in Britain as Marc Marquez struggles with tyre wear and Miller scores points again

Raul Fernandez was flawless at Silverstone, producing a front running flag to flag victory that never really looked under threat. The SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team rider launched from second on the grid, grabbed the lead immediately at Turn 1 and controlled the 20 lap contest all the way to the flag to secure his second career Grand Prix win and his first of the season.

The Spaniard’s response was emphatic after his Saturday Sprint error, in which he crashed out on lap 5. Once he hit the front, the Spaniard stretched the field immediately and by the third lap he had already established a two second advantage, helped by a new race lap record. From there, the rest were left to dispute the remaining podium positions.

Behind him, Marco Bezzecchi slotted in behind, while polesitter Jorge Martin and Ai Ogura were locked together through the first corners – both appearing to suffer initially with their rear ride height devices failing to disengage as they kicked up sparks through turn 1. Marc Marquez wasted no time moving into the fight as well, surging up to third by the exit of Turn 4 before Martin struck back soon after. Even at that early stage, though, Fernandez had broken clear.

After being shuffled back in the early exchanges, Ogura slipped back to seventh, while Alex Marquez climbed to fifth ahead of Pedro Acosta, bringing his brother into view.

The middle phase of the race then turned chaotic as Enea Bastianini crashed at Turn 17, Iker Lecuona went down at Turn 12 and Cal Crutchlow also fell at Turn 6 across Laps 6 and 7. A lap later, Francesco Bagnaia crashed at Turn 7, repeating his misfortune from the same corner as last year.

Lap 9 brought another major swing. Martin moved ahead of teammate Bezzecchi, while Alex Marquez advanced to third. Ogura was beginning to build some ominous race pace behind Marc Marquez but then crashed moments later by himself at Turn 16, his race ending in the gravel and costing him heavily in the title chase. Alex Marquez then made an error of his own at Turn 1, dropping from third to fifth before recovering to reclaim fourth from Acosta.

As the race moved into its final stretch, Fernandez remained comfortably in control. Martin did trim the margin slightly in the closing laps, but the leader always had enough in hand. Further back, Fabio Di Giannantonio made a late move on Marc Marquez at Turn 3 on Lap 18, getting the better of the reigning World Champion before chasing after Acosta.

At the chequered flag, Fernandez was still clear, sealing victory by 2.538s over Martin, making Fernandez the 12th different winner in the last 12 British Grands Prix at Silverstone. Bezzecchi completed the podium with a remarkable comeback ride given the extent of the injuries he sustained in Germany and the subsequent surgeries to his collarbone and knee. Alex Marquez came home fourth as the leading Ducati rider, followed by Acosta and Di Giannantonio. Marc Marquez had to settle for seventh, with Brad Binder eighth, Luca Marini ninth as top Honda, and Diogo Moreira completing the top 10.

Miller finished 13th after a race that underlined the challenges Yamaha and Prima Pramac faced over full distance. While he had shown strong single lap form earlier in the weekend and earned direct passage into Q2, the Grand Prix itself became a fight against grip loss and tyre drop. Miller spent much of the race circulating with Fabio Quartararo, but as the laps wore on the extra effort needed to stay in touch with the group began to take its toll on his tyres. Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP had arrived at Silverstone expecting more, but tyre management and race long grip remain key areas to improve before Aragón.

The final classified order behind Miller included Pol Espargaro in 14th, Toprak Razgatlioglu in 15th and Augusto Fernandez in 16th. Among the non finishers were Ogura, Bagnaia, Crutchlow, Lecuona, Bastianini, Alex Rins and Joan Mir.

In the championship, Martin’s second place strengthens his advantage at the top. He now leads on 240 points from Bezzecchi on 209, with Ogura remaining third on 203 despite his crash. Marc Marquez sits fourth on 200 and will be hoping tyre dramas don’t strike again at Aragon in two weeks time – a track he’s won at many times including the last two seasons.

Raul Fernandez – P1
“I think together we get a really good weekend. It’s true that yesterday I was quite frustrated after my mistake, but anyway, it is part of the sport. Sometimes we are human and we can make this kind of mistake, and now we get there again. So thanks to my team, I enjoyed a lot and yeah, we win!”

GPJorge Martin – P2
“I’m very happy. This is the kind of speed we were looking for, and I think today we came out of a period when we’d lost our way a little. We’re back on our way, mainly because we went back to what worked before and still works for us. The mistake in this race was my start. I didn’t get away well and, at Turn 1, I was too optimistic in trying to hold my position. As a result, I didn’t brake hard enough, the ride-height device didn’t return to its position, and I lost a few places. The positive thing is that I can fight for the win, and that’s what gives me confidence.”

Marco Bezzecchi – P3
“I wanted this result so badly that I couldn’t give up. Not after all the work the team has done and all the effort I put in over the summer break. It was fantastic, and I had so much fun. The team played a crucial role, along with everyone who has been there for me, of course. I think they did an incredible job – and not just this weekend: everyone at Noale has been fantastic too. I’d also like to thank Michele Colaninno, who has called me often to offer his support.”

Marc Márquez  – P7
“We knew that this weekend might have been more challenging than usual. I was quick on a couple of occasions but not over the race distance, and today I didn’t manage the tyre wear well. We couldn’t find the right speed and, in the end, we did a bit worse than expected. We’re working on being consistent and competitive on the less favourable tracks, but we know it’s impossible to always have the perfect bike.”

Jack Miller – P12
“I gave everything I had today, and unfortunately everything I had was enough for 13th position. Fabio and I were riding together for most of the race, and I think that shows the level we‘re at right now. We tried to fight with the other guys, but you can only do that for a certain amount of time. At a certain point, the extra risk you have to take, whether it‘s braking harder or pushing more in the corners, starts to have an effect towards the second half of the race. That‘s something we need to work on. “The track was a little bit more slippery today, whether because of the temperature or the Moto2 race, and with everyone running the medium rear tyre, it was a long and difficult race. Even though we were all managing the tyres carefully, the drop was still significant, especially over the final seven laps. “The Aprilias seemed to manage the tyres very well again today. We‘ve seen them do that across different classes and different circuits, and especially this year they seem to have the whole package working very well when it comes to tyre conservation and management. “Now we have another two weeks off, so we‘ll use that time to work on improving a little bit more and come back stronger for the next race.”

2026 British MotoGP

2026 MotoGP standings after Round 12