Marco Bezzecchi (P1) – “I’m happy. It was a great sprint race and I had fun. It’s a shame about the small complication at the start which conditioned the early stage of the race. In fact, at a certain point, I found myself in nineteenth place. In any case, it was an extremely positive sprint race. The long race will be different, because managing the tyres will be fundamental, as will a good start. We are working well. The team is doing a great job and I want to thank each one of them.”
Johann Zarco (P2) – “I felt good throughout the weekend because I was able to control and ride the bike the way I wanted. This result is the outcome of many small steps forward coming together. Securing a second consecutive podium is incredible. Today, I focused on managing tyre wear as best as I could to ensure strong performance in the final stages of the race, and the strategy paid off. Huge thanks to the team and to HRC, this confirms that we can do great things and that we’re constantly improving.”
Marc Márquez (P3) – “It was a lucky day for us, following the mistake in the first race. The crash was caused by a sudden burst of wind – when I released the brakes, it simply pushed me off. I was quite tense at the restart because with these unpredictable gusts, the risk of crashing is always just around the corner. The feeling in the first race was incredible, but in the second I didn’t have the same confidence with the front-end. Despite some issues today, we still managed to finish on the podium and extend our championship lead, so overall, I’m happy.”
Franco Morbidelli (P4) – “It was a movie like weekend, full of ups and downs. Luckily there was a great finish, so I’m very happy about it, even if I lost the podium for just 17 thousandths. I was able to catch back and give some nice battle. We are all really happy, because after that big crash at the beginning I was in pain, but then I saw the red flag, so I tried to take the bike to the pit box. Then we were able to adjust everything and regroup for the second start, which was not easy at all. I was 13th with the penalty, I had a good pace, I was strong and I gave everything. I fought to the end for the podium, what a story! What a race! And what a team! I want to thank all of them for the hard work during all the weekend, especially today.”
Alex Marquez (P5) – “Having won in Jerez, this ‘non victory’ hurts less, but it’s clear that we missed a great opportunity. We had a great start but maybe I overdid it and crashed. The red flag helped me, although maybe it helped Marc more. We’re leaving Silverstone with two points less, but with confidence after a good – yet defensive – race.”
Pedro Acosta (P6) – “A good race after all but a bit exasperated because we are losing a lot of grip. When you have the pace and you cannot overtake then it’s frustrating. I did overtake a lot of people at the start, even though it was messy! We have to improve and for Aragon we will also have a test which is important.”
Jack Miller (P7) – “The first start was good, I got away clean and the bike was working well. I was in a strong position, but then the red flag came out and we had to do it all over again. Fortunately, I also got a good jump on the second start and immediately found a solid rhythm. I could see the Ducati guys were struggling a bit with the medium front compared to my soft, so I passed them and tried to follow Fabio, matching his pace. But I quickly realized that maintaining that rhythm for the whole race wouldn‘t be sustainable – especially in corners like Turn 5, where you really push on the edge —so I focused on managing my pace. Towards the end, I felt comfortable behind Marc. With four laps to go, I noticed his pace was dropping a bit, and I started thinking about making a move. But just as I was planning it, Morbidelli came through, and we started battling. Then Alex arrived too, and that cost me the momentum. Overall, I‘m happy. The bike has been working well for a few races now, and it was a pretty positive weekend for Yamaha. Of course, I‘m devastated for Fabio, he was flying out there and absolutely deserved to win this race.”
Fermin Aldeguer (P8) – “Unfortunately I made a mistake today as well. It’s a shame because we had a good rhythm and we could have stayed with the front group. The wind was hard to manage, even though the minimum goal of a top ten was achieved. I’m not happy, but there are Sundays in which points and experience are needed.”
Fabio Di Diannantonio (P9) – “I feel like we missed an opportunity today, because I was feeling good with the bike. We’ve been doing an incredible job during all the weekend, but today I was not feeling good in the race, I couldn’t stop the bike as I would, so it was super hard and we lost ground and positions because I was braking too early. It’s a pity, we had the pace to fight for the podium as in the Sprint. Apart from that, we made a great step forward with the setup of the bike this weekend. What we improved here can help us in Aragon too, and I have more data, so we have to continue like this and all the positive things can help in the future.”
Joan Mir (P10) – “A mixed day today. I was really strong in both the starts to the race and able to be competitive straight away, fighting with the other riders. But coming from the back like that, I paid for it at the end of the race and didn’t have the rear to stay ahead or defend my position. The last five laps were mostly about surviving. That’s the story of today, we deserved more of a reward after the performance we put together, but we were at least able to score some points and walk away with good information. Still some things to figure out, but we keep on going.”
Maverick Viñales (P11) – “A lot of issues this weekend and not much luck. I had the rhythm to be fighting in the top five but starting in 18th means a lot more fighting and in only a few laps I lose six-seven seconds and that’s the race. This track is very unique and grip on corner exit is not our strength: you need it here. We need to forget this track and concentrate on Aragon now because this was not our potential here. I have faith in the bike we have – In Le Mans and Jerez we were quite fast – and we must improve the details.”
Alex Rins (P13) – “The first start was chaos for me. I lost many positions. Then, on the restart, I did a really good start. I stayed in my position and maybe even gained some. But then it was super difficult for me to warm the rear tyre. We need to understand why I have this issue but Fabio and Miller do not. From the middle to the end of the race, I’m able to ride the same lap times as they are, but I can’t do it in the opening stages. I lost positions, and I also had a scary moment with Bagnaia. When he crashed, I almost hit him. That lost me positions again. But I’m feeling positive. Yamaha is working so hard. In my case, we just need to understand how to solve the problems I have in the first part of the races, but you can see that we made an improvement compared to last year. That’s the thing that keeps me motivated.”
Brad Binder (P14) – “A tough weekend for us here in Silverstone. Qualifying was difficult, we didn’t finish the Sprint and the race today was also tough. I got a good start before the red flag and didn’t on the second start. I struggled with confidence and to know where I could push and where I couldn’t. As soon as I started to feel OK then I would have some ‘moments’. It’s hard at the moment. We need to figure things out a little bit and step-up for Aragon.”
Luca Marini (P15) – “I think I honestly could have done much better today. The first start, before the red flag, was unbelievable and I was right there with the top five but I changed the tyre when we went back to the garage and the feeling changed even though the rear spec was the same. I lost a lot of positions on the first lap but I made up a lot of ground after that. After the race we received a penalty for the pressure of the rear. As I said, the behaviour of the rear was different – it wasn’t a mistake of the team or of Michelin, it just happened. I accept the penalty because it’s the rule, it’s a shame to end a weekend like this.”
Miguel Oliveira (P16) – “These were the most difficult conditions I have ever raced in Silverstone, the wind was quite heavy, so it made it even more physical to ride the bike. I am still missing half a second riding the bike the way I am doing now, but overall, it was weekend with a visible progression. I am happier now with my speed, but I am still lacking the pace on the race distance, doing many laps in a row. It will come with more time. It‘s a very shame what happened to Fabio, the race was in his hands, I am very sorry for him, but this is racing.”
Enea Bastianini (P17) – “A very complicated day for me today. I tried to do something on the bike but it was impossible for me to push. A frustrating race and I just wanted to finish. The Long Lap didn’t help to stay with the group but I also had the front device locked for the whole first lap. Nothing more to say!”
Lorenzo Savadori (P18) – “The things we’ve been testing for a few races now are starting to work better. They obviously needed to be fine-tuned and we still have not achieved perfection, but when the time comes, they’ll be introduced on Marco’s bike as well. We are taking small steps forward and it is extremely positive. It’s also great to see Marco so fast, in spite of being so far back on the first lap.”
Somkiat Chantra (P19) – “It was a difficult race. Even though I wanted to push and get the most out of the bike, my arm didn’t allow me to ride the way I wanted. I’ll keep focusing on my recovery so I can feel stronger in Aragon. I’d like to thank the team for their job this weekend.”
Fabio Quartararo (DNF) – “It was an amazing race for us, but unfortunately we had a technical issue with the rear-height device. I think this was ‘our race’. Everything was good. I knew where to push, I knew where to exaggerate a bit more on braking considering the wind. Everything was under control until that lap. I think we can be happy with what we did today. The bike was the best it’s been in a while, by far. I was riding very smoothly, and I felt we were going super fast. So, there will be more opportunities, hopefully. I feel that we have made a step. Not enough yet, but we are getting stronger and stronger. I have made a great race. I won’t say it was the best of my career, but maybe of the last 3-4 years. Of course, I’m really disappointed, but I think we have to keep our head up.”
Francesco Bagnaia (DNF) – “I felt good in the first race, but at the restart – despite only changing the rear tyre – the feeling wasn’t the same. I struggled and then crashed in a very unusual way, so we need to figure out what happened. We still have some work to do to resolve these issues, which were more evident this weekend than in previous rounds.”
Senna Agius (Moto2 p1) – “I’m super happy but to be honest, I didn’t expect what happened today because every time I tried to get to the front, I was constantly overtaken on the straights. The race was actually the most physically demanding session of the weekend because the lap times were so slow due to the wind. That’s why we were overtaking each other in every corner. So, I tried to come up with a strategic plan. First, I overtook Moreira, and I knew I had to push to get close to Alonso and Canet. I was able to close the gap straight away in the first sector and tried to do my best on the back straight and saw Canet when he was on the inside. I knew that corner was coming faster than you think and when I went wide myself, I almost lost the front, but in the last corner I was on the inside. I was praying until the finish line and now I’m a Grand Prix winner, which is incredible. When I crossed the finish line, I started crying and stopped in turn one, looking up to the sky because I dedicate this victory to my grandfather who passed away and who was instrumental when I started my career in Europe. Last but not least, I would like to thank my team for the work and support that made it possible for me to climb to the top step of the podium in a world championship race.”
