MotoGP, British Grand Prix: Latest race updates from Silverstone with Quartararo on pole
12:07PM
Qualifying results (top ten)
Fabio Quartararo 1:57.233
Alex Marquez 1:57.542
Francesco Bagnaia 1:57.822
Marc Marquez 1:57.914
Fermin Aldeguer 1:58.073
Jack Miller 1:58.105
Fabio di Giannatonio 1:58.126
Luca Marini 1:58.135
Johann Zarco 1:58.140
Marco Bezzecchi 1:58.343
12:02PM
Viewing figures
One of the talking points coming into the UKGP has involved the attendance figures: does the speed and spectacle really have much impact if there is nobody around to see it? MotoGP TV production and the TNT Sports coverage is both first-class and comprehensive but the Grand Prix continues to divide fans' opinions for viewing and access, despite the fact that the riders themselves rave about the technical blend of corners and varying pace.
Official figures for the British round climbed slightly in 2023 and 2024 and numbered over 117,400 last year where MotoGP celebrated a 75th anniversary. However, a homegrown British rider has not appeared on the MotoGP grid at Silverstone since 2021. That Grand Prix was the final outing for the UK's last outstanding rider, Cal Crutchlow. The ex-factory Honda man had helped spin the turnstiles in 2016 when he qualified on pole position and then finished as runner-up on Sunday. Over 155,000 went to Silverstone that weekend: the highest accumulation from the last decade.
By 2022 the total had dropped by a third with Crutchlow nearly two seasons into retirement, Valentino Rossi also hanging up the florescent leathers in 2021 and Marc Marquez struggling with injury and a stubborn factory Honda. The race benefitted from the marketing activation of energy drink company Monster Energy for four years but the crowd was still less than a quarter of the 2024 F1 attendance. The total haul across all three days last summer for MotoGP was well under Sunday's crowd for the cars and this year looks likely to drop once more.
'The sport lack visibility in the United Kingdom,' opined Silverstone MD Stuart Pringle, speaking exclusively to Telegraph Sport. 'There are no British riders in the premier class and there are no British teams in the premier class. From other forms of motorsport, like Formula One, Silverstone understands the benefit of having British teams and British talent. It's true of any sport. Any promoter will tell you that it becomes easier when there is home interest for the fans. This is what we lack in MotoGP.'
'We need that again and it's not a quick fix,' he adds.MotoGP rights-holders Dorna Sports are in the middle of a fervent process of modernisation and transformation. The series itself is weeks away from a protracted multi-billion-dollar acquisition by Liberty Media - controllers of F1 and the architects of the current swell of interest – pending a verdict from the European Antitrust authorities. Dorna have continually probed for British (and American) talent to constitute some of the grid demographic.
There might be a small boost today thanks to the fresh memory of Jake Dixon's emotional victory last year in Moto2 and the fact that he has claimed two chequered flags already this season. 'Dorna, to be fair to them, have been very supportive of British riders in the junior categories,' Pringle, who is a biker himself, says. 'We have to recognise the world that we are in. Any talk of motorcycle sales going up is entirely driven by scooters and those riders are not necessarily fans of racing.'
'I have written to the European Commission enquiry,' he explains. 'As a bloke with a database of fans in both two wheels and four wheels - and we are one of the few circuits that host both F1 and MotoGP –there is no crossover. That was my message to them, and it will not create a monopoly situation. There are entirely different groups of fans. If Liberty Media could sprinkle their magic dust on MotoGP as they have done in Formula One then it would make this promoter very happy indeed.'
In comparison to F1's British core, MotoGP is predominantly Spanish and Italian. The paddock features 11 teams running 2-million-euro motorcycles from Italian, Japanese and Austrian manufacturers and there has only been one non-Spaniard or non-Italian world champion since 2011. Whereas fans seem to be attracted to the personalities and the teams of Formula One, MotoGP draws more on visually stunning athleticism and the close action: there have been ten different winners of the British Grand Prix in the last ten years. Marc Marquez and his profile aside, it needs to work harder to build the skills, bravery and characters of the protagonists. 'Better social media presence is the answer to most things and to raise the profile of the riders,' Pringle offers when asked how MotoGP could become more popular. 'If Liberty Media do take over then I think the riders will get a wake-up about what a championship expects by why of media participation. It is my observation that Formula One drivers are more engaged than MotoGP riders in media duties.'
Other factors: the GP ticket price is comparable to others on the continent, bike parking is free (cars are not) and there are national races on the support card. Viewing preferences are subjective: some love Silverstone's flat, lengthy layout, others yearn for the undulations of Donington Park. Another aspectfor 2025 is the calendar. The UK Grand Prix's May date is the earliest since Silverstone reclaimed the fixture from Donington in 2010. The GP had been held in August each year since 2017, dipping into September in 2013 and 2016. The current slot is only six weeks ahead of the fence-busting F1.
The switch will have to be judged in the aftermath. Not only for the gamble with the late Spring climate – which has varied greatly so far - but the fact that it occurs on the eve of the Isle of Man TT and even on the same weekend as the popular Bike Shed Show in London; two events that could eat into audience potential. 'We didn't argue against it and were happy to make a change,' Pringle reveals. 'It's the same in terms of interest although having less time to sell might yet have an impact. It's fairly typical buying-behaviour from motorcyclists to wait, and I include myself there. There is not enough in the ticket price to offer a large discount for early booking, compared to say Formula 1.'
11:59AM
Quartararo on pole at Silverstone
We are at the home of Britsh Motorsport for round seven of the MotoGP World Championship as Silverstone plays host to what should be a thrilling race. Frenchman Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha) starts on pole today ahead of Alex Marquez (Ducati) and Italian Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati). Championship leader Marc Marquez starts in fourth with Fermin Aldeguer one place behind him in fifth. This is Quartararo's third main pole of the season after poles in Spain and France.
Marc Marquez leads the way in the standings on 180 points, 19 points ahead of his brother Alex Marquez. The Sprint yesterday went to Alex Marquez for the first time this term followed by his brother Marc, who had taken the spoils in the previous six in Thailand, Argentina, USA, Qatar, Spain and France. Speaking after the Sprint, Alex Marquez was delighted with his efforts.
'I am super happy. We did everything perfectly. We made a mistake at the start. When he went wide, I said ok. I need to go to the end. It was a good feeling on the bike. It was too short, I felt good. Tomorrow [today] is the most important day though, so we need to focus.'
Quartararo, who starts on pole for today's main race, also began on pole for yesterday's Sprint but slipped down the order to finish down in seventh, so the Frenchman will be hoping for different fortunes today but he did not sound too confident after the Sprint yesterday.
'On the first lap Alex Marquez overtook me before the finish line,' said Quartararo. 'I am not stupid, I know how to ride – but [people] overtaking me in this situation, in this position, is frustrating. Yes, there were some positives today [yesterday], but if you check my top speed, I am last by far. The grip for us was really, really critical and I could not be fast. We had a lot of chatter. There was a big gap between the feeling of the morning and the performance of the afternoon. If there is a small difference on the grip, we feel it like 10 times more than the others. The pace we had in the sprint race compared to what we [did earlier] was super slow. We have to understand why we drop so much when conditions drop, and [why] we do not generate any kind of grip.'
Off the track, it has been confirmed that the 2026 British GP will take place from 7-9 August next year. There have been changeable conditions this weekend, with rain and plenty of wind around, and there will be plenty of focus on the tyres, which could cause plenty of headaches for the teams and riders. With Silverstone being such an open track, the blustery winds could cause significant issues for the riders. We are all set for an enthralling race, which gets going at 1pm, over 20 laps around the Silverstone circuit.
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