British MotoGP: Espargaro defeats Bagnaia to win at Silverstone

Aleix Espargaro pipped Francesco Bagnaia on the very last lap to win the British GP, as the MotoGP season resumed at Silverstone. Taking full advantage of the changing weather conditions, Espargaro has scored his first win this year and Aprilia’s second-ever in the premier class.

KTM’s Brad Binder, meanwhile, fended off Miguel Oliveira to land the final spot on the podium.

1. Aleix Espargaro wins, 0.215secs from Bagnaia
2. Brad Binder on podium
3. Francesco Bagnaia leads standings by 41 points

Espargaro wins British MotoGP race from P12

Ducati’s Bagnaia led most of the race, but Silverstone dished out a major plot twist with spots of rain coming down in the final few laps. By this point, Espargaro had battled his way from P12 to P2. He closely followed Bagnaia and pulled off a decisive overtake at the exit of the Copse Corner, denying the Italian victory on the very last lap.

"Today I realised straight away that I’d be able to do well. The Aprilia had traction here and I knew that I had some margin over Bagnaia on some corners. I preferred waiting until the final lap, especially when I saw a few drops of rain. There were some really slippery spots and it would have been easy to make a mistake,” explained Espargaro.

“Besides that, I noticed that Pecco [Bagnaia] was managing his tyres and I didn’t want to risk being beaten in the finale. I am extremely happy for myself and for Aprilia.”

Behind the leading duo, Binder displayed a defensive masterclass, keeping Oliveira at bay to finish third. Maverick Vinales finished P5, making it three Aprilia riders inside the top five.

Jorge Martin gains some ground in the championship after finishing sixth, followed by Luca Marini, Jack Miller, Johann Zarco and Raul Fernandez.

Bezzecchi crashes out

Reigning champion Bagnaia had to settle for second, but he’ll be happy to further extend his title lead after chief rival Marco Bezzecchi crashed out while chasing him for victory.

Running in P2 with 15 laps to go, Bezzecchi rushed into the Stowe corner and tucked the front. The retirement has delivered a heavy blow to the Mooney VR46 rider’s championship hopes.

Both Marquez brothers were unable to complete the race as well. Sprint winner Alex Marquez had to retire with a suspected gear selection issue, while Marc Marquez crashed out after tangling with Enea Bastianini.

2023 MotoGP championship standings

Bagnaia now holds a 41 points lead in the championship, with Bezzecchi’s crash promoting Martin to second overall, while Bezzecchi is six points behind him in third place.

MotoGP will now head to the Red Bull Ring for the Austrian GP on August 18-20.

2023 British MotoGP results

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