Silverstone: 6 winners in 6, will there be a 7th?

After a year of absence in 2020, the MotoGP™ paddock descends to one of the world’s most legendary layouts for Round 12 of the season: Silverstone. And in the last six races at the British GP, we’ve seen six different winners emerge.

The run started back in 2013 when then two-time premier class World Champion Jorge Lorenzo and rookie sensation Marc Marquez went head-to-head in Northamptonshire. A last lap thriller, which saw Marquez – who had dislocated his shoulder in a morning Warm Up crash – pass Lorenzo into Brooklands before the latter then carved his way up the inside at Luffield. It was a penultimate corner move that handed Lorenzo a fourth win of the year.

• REWIND: 2013 BRITISH GP, LORENZO VS MARQUEZ

• RELIVE LORENZO AND MARQUEZ'S 2014 SILVERSTONE SCRAP FOR VICTORY

Returning in 2014, Repsol Honda’s Marquez was in scintillating form. After 10 wins from the opening 10 races, before the streak was ended in Brno, the number 93 turned the tables on Lorenzo to beat his compatriot by 0.7s for his first – and so far only – premier class win at Silverstone.

Some classic British weather greeted the riders for race day a year later in 2015. Coming into the British GP, Yamaha teammates Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi were level on points at the top of the standings. The wet weather favoured Rossi and The Doctor was able to see off the likes of Danilo Petrucci, Andrea Dovizioso and Marquez to claim a fourth win of the season – and a 12th consecutive podium of 2015. 

2016’s British GP was a day to remember for Suzuki and Maverick Viñales. Home hero Cal Crutchlow started on pole position, but MotoGP™ sophomore Viñales had his Suzuki singing beautifully at Silverstone. No one could match Viñales on the day and the Spaniard picked up his maiden MotoGP™ victory, and at the same time handed Suzuki their first win since returning to the class.

• HIGHLIGHTS: VIÑALES' BRILLIANT 2016 BRITISH GP VICTORY

Another classic Silverstone clash unfolded in 2017. The title fight was ramping up between Ducati’s Dovizioso and Honda’s Marquez, but drama unfolded for the latter in the closing stages. A mechanical issue ended Marquez’s race early, which left Dovizioso scrapping with Viñales, Rossi and Crutchlow for victory. Eventually, the Italian fended off the Yamahas and Crutchlow for a precious 25 points, seeing Dovizioso bag a second premier class British GP victory.

After a washout caused the 2018 British GP to be cancelled, we returned to sun-baked Silverstone in 2019. And we were treated to another wonderful fight for victory. Marquez was again gunning for the win but this time, Team Suzuki Ecstar’s Alex Rins was hounding his compatriot and was chasing a second win of the year. Normally, when you lead out of Luffield on the last lap, you tend to take the chequered flag first. Not this time. A small mistake from Marquez through the ferociously quick Woodcote corner, coupled with Rins’ superior corner speed, saw Rins dramatically claim victory by 0.013s in an outstanding finish.

Lorenzo, Marquez, Rossi, Viñales, Dovizioso, Rins. Only three of those riders – Marquez, Rossi and Rins – can stop the streak continuing at the 2021 British GP. The top six in the 2021 World Championship are all chasing that first MotoGP™ 25-point haul at Silverstone, and the chances of six winners in six becoming seven winners in seven are somewhat high. Either way, we should be in for a belting British GP weekend.