UPDATED British MotoGP, Silverstone – Full Qualifying Results

Update: Stefan Bradl has been given a three-place grid penalty for ‘riding slow on the line and disturbing another rider’ [Bezzecchi] in Q1.

* Rookie

Official Silverstone MotoGP records:
Best lap:
Marc Marquez SPA Honda 1m 58.168s (2019)
Fastest race lap:
Marc Marquez SPA Honda 1m 59.936s (2019)

Pramac’s Johann Zarco takes pole position for the British MotoGP with a new all-time lap record at Silverstone.

The Frenchman will be joined on the front row by Aprilia’s Maverick Vinales and Ducati’s Jack Miller, while Fabio Quartararo and injured title rival Aleix Espargaro will launch from row two.

A limping Espargaro returned to action after his huge 160km/h FP4 highside, braving the pain to briefly put his Aprilia on pole, as he seeks to close the 21-point gap to Quartararo on Sunday.

Reigning world champion and defending Silverstone winner Quartararo will have to serve a Long Lap penalty in the early laps of the race and thus needed a front row more than ever today.

Quartararo was on pole by 0.118s as the final run began, but the Yamaha star lost out in the hectic last laps and was pushed to fourth, just ahead of Francesco Bagnaia.

The top eight riders were under Marc Marquez’s previous lap record.

Suzuki team-mates Alex Rins and Joan Mir suffered in qualifying, being left eleventh and twelfth.

“4

Fabio Quartararo starts the British MotoGP, the first event after the summer break, with a reduced 21-point lead over Aleix Espargaro after suffering a first DNF of the season at Assen.

Crucially, the French star will also need to serve a Long Lap penalty in Sunday’s Silverstone race as punishment for forcing Espargaro off-track during the misjudged pass, which ended with the Yamaha rider on the ground before a second accident ended his Dutch drama.

Both Quartararo and Espargaro have good memories of Silverstone from last year, when Quartararo won from the Suzuki of Alex Rins and Espargaro held off the Ducati of Jack Miller to claim the RS-GP’s first-ever MotoGP podium.

Espargaro and Aprilia’s spectacular season means, despite the Assen incident and handing away another near-certain rostrum in Barcelona, the Spaniard arrives in the UK seeking a sixth podium and second win of the year.

Pramac Ducati’s Johann Zarco is best of the rest in third, albeit 58 points from Quartararo and still seeking a long overdue premier-class win, with Factory Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia eight points behind after taking three wins and three DNFs in the last six races.

Silverstone will be Bagnaia’s first MotoGP event since his drink-driving incident in Ibiza.

Enea Bastianini (Gresini Ducati) and Jorge Martin (Pramac) remain locked in battle to be Bagnaia’s 2023 team-mate, with Silverstone likely to be their last chance to impress before an end-of-August decision is made.

Triple race winner Bastianini has slipped to fifth in the standings after his early season heroics, with 2021 winner Martin currently eleventh with two second-places.

Just two points separate Brad Binder and future KTM team-mate Miller in the fight for sixth in the championship, with the same slim margin splitting Joan Mir and Alex Rins in their last season as Suzuki team-mates.

While Rins officially confirmed a switch to LCR Honda during the summer break, Mir’s expected move to Repsol Honda in place of Pol Espargaro is still to be confirmed.

With Marc Marquez still recovering from his latest arm surgery, Espargaro – tipped to make a return to KTM and Tech3 next season – is again partnered by HRC test rider Stefan Bradl this weekend.

Friday August 5

9am – Moto3 Free Practice 1

9.55am – MotoGP Free Practice 1

10.55am – Moto2 Free Practice 1

1.15pm – Moto3 Free Practice 2

2.10pm – MotoGP Free Practice 2

3.10pm – Moto2 Free Practice 2

Saturday August 6

9am – Moto3 Free Practice 3

9.55am – MotoGP Free Practice 3

10.55am – Moto2 Free Practice 2

12.35pm – Moto3 Qualifying 1

1pm – Moto3 Qualifying 2

1.30pm – MotoGP Free Practice 4

2.10pm – MotoGP Qualifying 1

2.35pm – MotoGP Qualifying 2

3.10pm – Moto2 Qualifying 1

3.35pm – Moto2 Qualifying 2

Sunday August 7

9.20am – Moto3 warm-up

9.40am – MotoGP warm-up

10.10am – Moto2 warm-up

11.20am – Moto3 race

1pm – MotoGP race

2.30pm – Moto2 race