It didn’t quite match the excitement of the last race at Silverstone in 2019, but the British GP still provided plenty of moments to shout about.
It could also prove to be a decisive weekend in the championship, Yamaha rider Fabio Quartararo extending his lead from 47 to 65 points.
1. Fabio Quartararo – 10
After overtaking Pol Espargaro for the lead of the race on lap 5, Fabio Quartararo was only ever going to win his fifth race of the season.
The Frenchman dominated proceeding, looking comfortable as he managed the gap to those behind him.
Extending his championship lead to 65 points, surely nobody can overhaul him now.
2. Alex Rins – 9.5
It shows how difficult a season Alex Rins has had that this is his first podium of the year, and only the second time he has finished ahead of teammate Joan Mir.
A winner at Silverstone in 2019, the Spaniard did remarkably well to come home in second after starting down in tenth.
Hopefully this is a springboard for Rins to enjoy a strong end to the season.
3. Aleix Espargaro – 9.5
Aprilia finally have a MotoGP podium to their name thanks to Aleix Espargaro’s third place finish.
The Spaniard did brilliantly well to hold off the charging Ducati of Jack Miller in the final sector on the final lap. Securing only his second podium in the premier class, and seven years after his first, it is just reward for all the work both he and his team have put in during their five seasons together.
4. Jack Miller – 9
It was a solid result in the end for Jack Miller, showing great pace as the race developed to put the disappointment of the double header in Austria behind him.
Indeed, such was his pace in the second half of the race, the Australian almost pipped Aleix Espargaro onto the podium.
5. Pol Espargaro – 9
While Pol Espargaro was disappointed not to get on the podium having started on pole, the Spaniard’s fifth place finish is by far his best result since moving to Repsol Honda from the factory KTM team at the start of this season.
A mistake through Stowe on lap 14 allowed Miller through for fourth, but fifth place was probably the best he could have hoped for after his soft rear tyre “gave up.”
6. Brad Binder – 8.5
Brad Binder went about his business quietly on Sunday. Starting from twelfth, the South African was ninth with only five laps to go, before overtakes on Pecco Bagnaia, Joan Mir, and Alex Marquez promoted him to sixth in the closing stages.
By finishing sixth on his factory KTM, Binder also helped make a piece of history for the sport, with this the first time in the MotoGP era that all six manufacturers on the grid broke into the top six.
7. Iker Lecuona – 9
Iker Lecuona followed up his sixth-place finish in Austria last time out with another great performance at Silverstone.
Having started 18th, Lecuona overtook Alex Marquez for seventh on the final lap to further demonstrate his increasing maturity and speed in the premier class.
With performances like these, the 21-year-old surely deserves a ride on the grid for next season.
8. Alex Marquez – 8
Having only finished in the top 10 twice in the opening nine races, Alex Marquez has returned from the summer break in fine form, his eighth-place finish at Silverstone being his third consecutive top 10 result and his best since round 5 in France.
It represented a good return for the Spaniard after starting in 17th. Nonetheless, Marquez would still have been disappointed to have lost positions to both Binder and Lecuona in the closing laps of the race.
9. Joan Mir – 6.5
As Mir himself conceded, his title defence is now likely over after a disappointing result at Silverstone.
The Spaniard had started the race well, running in fifth and attached with the leading group. However, a problem with his soft front tyre caused him to fade badly in the closing laps, losing positions to Binder, Lecuona, and Marquez.
10. Danilo Petrucci – 7.5
Danilo Petrucci overtook Johann Zarco on the final lap to take his first top 10 finish since round 6 in Mugello.
Having started sixteenth on the Tech3 KTM, it was a good performance from the Italian on the track where he scored his first ever MotoGP podium in 2015.
11. Johann Zarco – 6
Only 30 points behind compatriot Fabio Quartararo heading into the summer break, Johann Zarco has seen any title ambitions go up in smoke following the return of racing.
He endured another difficult weekend at Silverstone after a DNF in Austria last time out, having to go through Q1 and then lacking race pace as he lost two positions after starting ninth.
12. Enea Bastianini – 7.5
Enea Bastianini enjoyed a good battle with Luca Marini and Cal Crutchlow throughout Sunday’s race, being locked together battling for P15 throughout the opening 16 laps.
The Italian then showed superior pace as he pulled away, overtaking Pecco Bagnaia and then the LCR Honda of Taka Nakagami on the final lap to finish 12th.
13. Takaaki Nakagami – 6.5
The king of the 13th-place finish, the British GP was the fourth time – and second in two races – Taka Nakagami has finished there this season.
Despite starting 15th, it represented a disappointing result for the Japanese rider after being as high as ninth following a great opening lap.
14. Pecco Bagnaia – 5.5
After qualifying second, Pecco Bagnaia dropped like a stone in the race. Putting his problems down to a lack of rear grip, the Italian lost six positions alone in the final five laps.
Just like Zarco, any ambitions he had for an outside shot at the title are now over.
15. Luca Marini – 7
Luca Marini enjoyed a good battle with Enea Bastianini and Cal Crutchlow throughout Sunday’s race. Being inseparable for most of the 20 laps, Marini could not keep pace with Bastianini towards the end, but did pull away from Cal Crutchlow to claim the final points scoring position.
16. Miguel Oliveira – 5.5
Another to have had a torrid time after the summer break, Miguel Oliveira followed his consecutive DNFs at the double header in Austria with a finish outside the points at Silverstone.
Struggling with a lack of grip and likely still feeling the effects of a wrist injury sustained during practice at the Styrian Grand Prix three weeks ago, the Portuguese rider will be eager re-capture the form he showed in the first half of the season at the Aragon Grand Prix in two weeks’ time.
17. Cal Crutchlow – 6
It is quite hard to judge Cal Crutchlow considering this was only his third race of a season where he wasn’t expected to line up on the grid at all.
However, being on the factory Yamaha, he would have expected to “have been faster than what I was,” as he confirmed after a disappointing qualifying session where he was only 19th quickest.
18. Valentino Rossi – 7
This rating is explained more by emotion than by rational thinking.
Rossi, who had started eighth after his second-best qualifying session of the season, was running as high as sixth in the opening laps, looking good for his best result of the year.
However, his lap times soon fell off a cliff as his medium rear tyre began to degrade. Lapping up to four seconds slower than the leaders come the end of the race, it was therefore a sad result in his final British GP, the 42-year-old dropping down the order to finish well outside of the points.
Nonetheless, the Italian legend still took the acclaim from the fans, receiving by far the largest applause of the day.
19. Jake Dixon – 6
Considering this was the first weekend that Jake Dixon had ever ridden a MotoGP bike, the Briton can be proud of his efforts.
Only five tenths of a second behind Miguel Oliveira in qualifying, Dixon had been ahead of the Portuguese rider on lap two before a mistake cut him adrift of the rest of the field.
DNFs
Jorge Martin – 7
Jorge Martin could do nothing as Marc Marquez tried to cut underneath him at the Vale chicane, a move that ended both of their races.
Martin, who had qualified fourth, would have fancied his chances for a third consecutive podium had he not been taken out.
Marquez – 4
BT Sport commentator Neil Hodgson summarised Marc Marquez’s collision with Jorge Martin best, calling it “a silly move” and “appalling”.
The Spaniard, to his credit, did admit to the error, apologising to Martin after the race. Still, after Martin had bumped him out of the way at the previous corner, it was a petulant and immature response by Marquez, especially considering he needs all of the laps he can get as he continues to build strength in his right arm.
