Monster Energy British MotoGP Silverstone 2024.
The 75th Anniversary Grand Prix promised fans a blend of nostalgic delight with historic liveries for the main race day on Sunday, and it was certainly on point.
GOOD warm weather greeted us upon arrival here at Silverstone on Friday morning with clouds looming but the hot sun eventually breaking through, making it very warm and humid.
Jorge Martin on the PRAMAC DUCATI was the fastest man on both Friday free practice sessions, with blistering lap times throughout both sessions.
As the session dipped under the 20-minute mark, Jorge Martín found his form and hit the front for the first time.
Lap times tumbled as the session drew to a close, but in the end, it was Martín who retained the fastest time of a 1:59.383. He was closely followed by the Aprilia duo of Viñales and Espargaró with Bagnaia in eighth and Márquez down in 10th.
Alex Rins withdrew from the event after Friday practice 'due to the hand and foot injury he sustained in Round 8, at the Dutch GP.
Aleix Espargaro eventually took pole position during qualifying and a new Silverstone lap record.
Last year’s Aprilia winner was joined on the front row by the factory Ducatis of Francesco Bagnaia and Enea Bastianini.
But it was Enea Bastianini who clinched his first win of the season in Saturday's MotoGP Sprint ahead of Jorge Martin and 3rd place rider & pole sitter Aleix Espargaro. Championship leader Francesco Bagnaia and Marc Marquez both crashed out. "I'm very happy," Bastianini said. "It has been a very good fight with Jorge."
But his superb riding went beyond a sprint race win, when he completed the double on Sunday race day claiming victory yet again around the Silverstone circuit.
Bastianini completed the double after his Sprint victory, by passing Martin when the Spaniard ran wide at turn 3 with just 2 laps to go, making him only the 4th person to EVER do it !!!!
With Bagnaia losing pace and limping home in third, Martin, who began the race just one point behind the reigning world champion after Pecco's Sprint fall, is now back on top of the championship standings by just 3 points going into the next rounds at the Red Bull ring in Austria in just 2 week’s time.
Cold temperatures made tyre choice tricky, even before some spots of rain on the grid.
All riders played it safe on the medium rear and front options, except the Aprilias of Aleix Espargaro and Raul Fernandez, who went with the hard fronts.
Fernandez was down and out on lap one after an incident with Trackhouse team-mate Miguel Oliveira.
Luca Marini missed out on scoring a point at the British MotoGP due to a post-race tyre pressure penalty.
The Repsol Honda rider crossed the line in 15th, enough to claim only his second point of the season.
But he was demoted to 17th - and pointless, for failing to meet the minimum tyre pressure regulations, after scrutineering.
