As the saying goes, timing is crucial in sports, and for Aprilia Racing, Marco Bezzecchi’s win at the Tissot Grand Prix of the United Kingdom arrived at an ideal moment. During an eventful Sunday at Silverstone where Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team), Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP), and Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) all crashed, and Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) faced a devastating technical problem while in the lead, Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR) secured an impressive P2 finish behind the Italian rider. In the meantime, Marc Marquez, after a red-flag delay, managed to recover and secure P3 in a battle for the podium, ultimately culminating in an unforgettable showdown at Silverstone.
THEATRICS, THEATRICS AND A TOUCH MORE THEATRICS
Right from the moment the lights went out, drama began. From the center of the front row, Alex Marquez had an impressive start and took the lead, but as soon as the front brake was engaged approaching Turn 1, the front end collapsed without any indication. In an instant, the #73 was out of the Grand Prix – or so it seemed then – while Marc Marquez took the lead over Quartararo and Bagnaia.
At the conclusion of the initial lap, Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) and Aleix Espargaro (Honda HRC Test Team) collided at the Vale chicane, ultimately resulting in red flags being displayed because of an oil spillage. However, prior to this knowledge, Grand Prix leader Marc Marquez fell at Turn 11! The leading two in the World Championship both experienced crashes, but since three laps hadn’t been completed, all riders qualified for the restart, which would be a 19-lap Grand Prix. Was it a free pass from jail for the Marquez brothers? Certainly. However, they would both be beginning on their less favored second machines.
THE RESET
Take two saw Bagnaia secure the holeshot into Turn 1, but at Turn 3, Quartararo leapt ahead to seize an early lead. Marc Marquez overtook Alex Marquez, followed by Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP) at Brooklands.
Quartararo held a 1.2s lead at the close of Lap 1, and at Turn 3, Miller maneuvered past Marc Marquez for P3; then at Brooklands, it became a Yamaha 1-2. The Australian moved ahead on the inside of Bagnaia, and then Marc Marquez went wide at Copse, pushing him behind Zarco.
Quartararo now had a 2.4s lead, and shortly after, Zarco overtook Pecco to secure P3. Sensing an opportunity, Marc Marquez was also in. Subsequently, Copse exposed both factory Ducatis. Marquez and Pecco went wide during different instances, leading them to fall to P9 and P10. Tasks to complete.
Things then took a turn for the worse for Pecco. As they passed through Luffield, the front end gave out, ending the Italian’s Grand Prix. In the meantime, Bezzecchi had moved to P3, ahead of Zarco, while Alex Marquez was in P5, and Quartararo maintained a 3.9s lead over Miller. What an incredible Grand Prix this turned out to be.
A key point to mention is this: the present top four – Quartararo, Miller, Bezzecchi, and Zarco – were using the soft front Michelin tyre. A compound that hasn’t finished a race distance yet; would it endure?
During Lap 6 of 19, Bezzecchi and Zarco overtook Miller, causing him to fall from P2 to P4 in just a few seconds. So, what sort of speed did Bezzecchi have in store? The difference to Quartararo was 5.3s. It took just five seconds for Bez to trim three tenths from the deficit in clear air.
In another part of the track, Marc Marquez trailed closely behind Alex Marquez – the leading duo occupied P6 and P7, positioned after Morbidelli and Miller, and slightly ahead of Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol). The #93 then cut through the #73 at Vale, and on the following lap, the Championship frontrunner overtook Miller. During that same lap, Alex Marquez erred at Vale, resulting in a loss of both time and position – Mir was now in front.
Bezzecchi set the fastest lap of the race at 1:59.770, as the Italian reduced Quartararo’s advantage. At Lap 10 of 19, the difference shrank to 4.7s, and by the following lap, it decreased further to 4.4s. In another spot, Marc Marquez was currently in P4, ahead of Morbidelli, and needed to close a three-second gap to reach Zarco’s rear wheel for a chance at the podium.
QUARTARARO’S DISAPPOINTMENT
All of a sudden, we noticed Quartararo lifting his arm. What occurred? It appeared that a technical problem caused the rear ride height mechanism to be stuck, and despite attempts to disengage it for over half a lap, the YZR-M1 simply would not cooperate. Disappointment for Quartararo and Yamaha. A possible return to the highest position taken away under such harsh conditions.
Nevertheless, Quartararo’s heartbreaking finish to the Grand Prix became Aprilia’s advantage as it was the opportunity granted to Bezzecchi.
THE RACE TO THE FINISH LINE
The Italian was 2.9 seconds ahead of Zarco, who was two seconds in front of Marc Marquez. However, it wasn’t a cozy P3 for the leader in the title race. With five laps remaining, Miller, Morbidelli, Marquez, and Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) all had a chance to secure a podium at Silverstone.
In that podium battle, Miller and Alex Marquez put on an excellent show while Morbidelli attempted to stay close to Marc Marquez, who was now eight tenths ahead of the pursuing group. At the front, Bezzecchi led by four seconds while Zarco maintained a gap of just over a second to Marquez.
Final lap time at Silverstone. Bezzecchi had a lead of 4.6s, but the attention was mainly on the battle for the podium. In Turn 3, Morbidelli overtook Marquez, but the latter quickly retaliated. Is Morbidelli able to reply? Indeed, he was able to. Copse corner was selected as the location; the next step was for Marc Marquez to weigh in.
And he completed the task. An excellent exit from Turn 14 enabled Marquez to take the inside line at Stowe – but the action wasn’t finished yet. Morbidelli pushed his Ducati hard on the inside at Vale, but by going wide, his exit was hindered, allowing Marquez to force his way back through on the cut back just enough to take P3, as Alex Marquez finished closely behind his brother and Morbidelli in that thrilling battle.
