Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) pulled the pin to perfection in the Tissot Sprint at Silverstone, flying to victory by over three seconds after out-pacing Championship leader Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team). The battle for the podium was a gloves-off throwdown behind, with Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Team) coming out on top in a five-rider scrap on Saturday.
Quartararo took the holeshot from pole as the Ducati trio behind scuffled over second, with Alex Marquez able to grab it back despite a lunge round the outside from Marc Marquez, the #93 having launched from fourth and sending it. So El Diablo led Alex, Marc and Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), but by the end of the Wellington Straight on Lap 1 the #93 was up into second. By the end of the Hangar Straight, Marc Marquez was through into the lead.
It seemed ominous with six Sprint wins in a row behind him but there was time left on the clock yet this time round, and Alex Marquez was soon on his tail after himself dispatching Quartararo over the line. Not long after, Marc Marquez was wide at Turn 3 and the #73 needed no invitation, taking over in the lead and the duo then starting to build a gap, leaving Quartararo vs Bagnaia vs Diggia as the battle for third.
Bagnaia was past the Yamaha not long after and the #49 was able to follow suit, but there was a spectacular Fabio-on-Fabio duel for it. As Diggia closed in on Bagnaia, Quartararo suddenly seemed to surge closer to them again too – but by then Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR) was on the way to get involved. And even more so, Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing), as the #72 put on a serious charge after having dropped well outside the top ten off the line.
Alex Marquez continued to hold off Marc in the lead, but that battle behind erupted. Bezzecchi struck against Zarco first, and next up the Aprilia had target lock on Quartararo. He got past him at the end of the Wellington Straight and then homed in on Bagnaia – with Diggia managing to put in the metres to pull away and escape the melee. The #49 seemed safe in that P3 as Bez then elbowed past Bagnaia before Zarco then shot past the #63 into Maggots and Becketts. Quartararo was left trying to find his way through on Bagnaia too, but just ran out of laps.
At the front, Alex Marquez kept that hammer down, didn’t make a single mistake, and slowly edged out a gap to then pull the pin in style – breaking that streak of consecutive Sprint wins and taking his own first Sprint win since 2023. Marc Marquez was forced to settle for second, and Diggia makes a rostrum return for the first time since a GP podium in Austin.
Behind, Bezzecchi’s charge from near the back of the grid resulted in an impressive fourth, with his pace one to watch on Sunday if he has less to do off the line. Zarco was fifth, with Bagnaia just holding on to that sixth place ahead of Quartararo.
Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) made a late charge to eighth at the expense of Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) as the rookie was elbowed back out the points, with the Saturday scorers therefore completed by Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP Team) after the Australian ran strong early on and was able to hold P9.
That’s a wrap on Saturday – and Sunday offers up even more. With Bezzecchi’s stunning Sprint pace, Diggia back on form, Bagnaia always able to find something on Sunday and Marc Marquez heading in after being outright beaten on Saturday, an incredible show is guaranteed. See you at 13:00 (UTC+1)!