British MotoGP, Silverstone - Friday Practice Results

Friday practice results from the British MotoGP at Silverstone, round 9 of 20 in the 2023 world championship.
Aleix Espargaro, British MotoGP, 4 August
Aleix Espargaro, British MotoGP, 4 August
 
2023 British MotoGP, Silverstone - Practice (2) Results
Pos RiderNatTeamTime/DiffLapMax
1^5Aleix EspargaroSPAAprilia Racing (RS-GP23)1'58.183s19/19330k
2^1Jorge MartinSPAPramac Ducati (GP23)+0.671s20/21334k
3^10Brad BinderRSARed Bull KTM (RC16)+0.715s19/20334k
4^5Maverick ViñalesSPAAprilia Racing (RS-GP23)+0.721s13/14334k
5˅1Johann ZarcoFRAPramac Ducati (GP23)+0.760s17/18330k
6^8Francesco BagnaiaITADucati Lenovo (GP23)+0.790s17/19334k
7˅6Marco BezzecchiITAMooney VR46 Ducati (GP22)+0.835s18/19334k
8˅3Jack MillerAUSRed Bull KTM (RC16)+1.018s20/21333k
9˅7Luca MariniITAMooney VR46 Ducati (GP22)+1.063s19/19335k
10^1Alex MarquezSPAGresini Ducati (GP22)+1.115s21/21331k
11˅1Fabio QuartararoFRAMonster Yamaha (YZR-M1)+1.242s21/21329k
12˅5Franco MorbidelliITAMonster Yamaha (YZR-M1)+1.271s20/20329k
13^2Marc MarquezSPARepsol Honda (RC213V)+1.272s19/20333k
14^3Miguel OliveiraPORRNF Aprilia (RS-GP22)+1.482s21/21332k
15˅3Enea BastianiniITADucati Lenovo (GP23)+1.510s20/21334k
16=Fabio Di GiannantonioITAGresini Ducati (GP22)+1.531s20/21333k
17˅9Raul FernandezSPARNF Aprilia (RS-GP22)+1.543s19/19329k
18^2Joan MirSPARepsol Honda (RC213V)+2.174s18/19329k
19=Augusto FernandezSPATech3 GASGAS (RC16)*+2.359s22/22326k
20˅2Takaaki NakagamiJPNLCR Honda (RC213V)+2.440s19/20326k
21^1Pol EspargaroSPATech3 GASGAS (RC16)+2.626s16/17335k
22˅1Iker LecuonaSPALCR Honda (RC213V)+2.939s21/22325k

Key:
^X Rider is X positions higher than Free Practice 1.
= Rider is same position as Free Practice 1.
˅X Rider is X positions lower than Free Practice 1.

Aleix Espargaro leads Friday afternoon practice at the 2023 British MotoGP, while Fabio Quartararo and Marc Marquez are among those to miss out on a top ten place and will need to take part in Saturday's Qualifying 1.

Morning leader Marco Bezzecchi suffered a big highside at turn 7 in the closing stages, while trying to wrestle the top spot back from Francesco Bagnaia.

Martin, Binder, Maverick Vinales and Johann Zarco then moved ahead of them both, before Espargaro delivered the best lap of the weekend so far to blast 0.671s clear of the field.

Vinales and Luca Marini also fell during the session.

In a charge to the previous format, this morning's opening practice session no longer counts towards direct Q2 access, with the top ten places decided only on this afternoon's hour.

Remote video URL

MotoGP returns from its summer break with reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia leading the standings by 35-points over Jorge Martin (Pramac) and Marco Bezzecchi (VR46) one point further back to complete an all-Ducati top three.

A revised practice format from this weekend means only Friday’s second session will be used to determine the top ten riders receiving direct access to Qualifying 2. Opening practice now becomes a ‘free’ session, like FP3.

After being tested by teams in the opening eight rounds, punishments for breaching MotoGP’s new real-time Tyre Pressure Monitoring System will be implemented from Silverstone.

For now, post-race punishments will only be given if tyre pressure falls below the minimum specified by Michelin for at least 50% of a Sunday race distance and 30% of a Sprint race, and apply as follows:
· 1st offense: Warning
· 2nd offense: 3-second time penalty
· 3rd offense: 6-second time penalty
· 4th offense: 12-second time penalty

Pol Espargaro (GASGAS Tech3), plus Marc Marquez and Joan Mir (Repsol Honda) have used the summer break to recover from injuries and return to action this weekend - Espargaro for the first time since the Portimao season opener.

However, newly announced 2024 Yamaha rider Alex Rins remains absent due to his Mugello leg fractures and is replaced at LCR Honda by WorldSBK rider Iker Lecuona.

There have been eight different winners in the last eight races at Silverstone: Jorge Lorenzo (2013, Yamaha), Marc Marquez (2014, Honda), Valentino Rossi (2015, Yamaha), Maverick Vinales (2016, Yamaha), Andrea Dovizioso (2017, Ducati), Alex Rins (2019, Suzuki), Fabio Quartararo (2021, Yamaha) and Francesco Bagnaia (2022, Ducati).

Weather forecasts warn of potential showers throughout the weekend, especially on Saturday.

2023 British MotoGP, Silverstone - Practice (1) Results
PosRiderNatTeamTime/DiffLapMax
1Marco BezzecchiITAMooney VR46 Ducati (GP22)2'00.295s16/16332k
2Luca MariniITAMooney VR46 Ducati (GP22)+0.036s16/17335k
3Jorge MartinSPAPramac Ducati (GP23)+0.075s16/16331k
4Johann ZarcoFRAPramac Ducati (GP23)+0.172s15/17332k
5Jack MillerAUSRed Bull KTM (RC16)+0.370s16/16330k
6Aleix EspargaroSPAAprilia Racing (RS-GP23)+0.382s14/15328k
7Franco MorbidelliITAMonster Yamaha (YZR-M1)+0.561s12/14329k
8Raul FernandezSPARNF Aprilia (RS-GP22)+0.641s16/16326k
9Maverick ViñalesSPAAprilia Racing (RS-GP23)+0.803s16/18331k
10Fabio QuartararoFRAMonster Yamaha (YZR-M1)+0.946s17/17326k
11Alex MarquezSPAGresini Ducati (GP22)+0.964s15/16328k
12Enea BastianiniITADucati Lenovo (GP23)+1.122s17/17332k
13Brad BinderRSARed Bull KTM (RC16)+1.156s8/19329k
14Francesco BagnaiaITADucati Lenovo (GP23)+1.225s14/15330k
15Marc MarquezSPARepsol Honda (RC213V)+1.291s16/16328k
16Fabio Di GiannantonioITAGresini Ducati (GP22)+1.619s15/17329k
17Miguel OliveiraPORRNF Aprilia (RS-GP22)+1.879s12/16328k
18Takaaki NakagamiJPNLCR Honda (RC213V)+2.258s12/14323k
19Augusto FernandezSPATech3 GASGAS (RC16)*+2.265s11/17325k
20Joan MirSPARepsol Honda (RC213V)+2.453s17/17326k
21Iker LecuonaSPALCR Honda (RC213V)+2.581s17/17324k
22Pol EspargaroSPATech3 GASGAS (RC16)+3.502s11/16328k

Marco Bezzecchi leads an all-Ducati top four during opening practice for the 2023 British MotoGP at a dry but overcast and chilly Silverstone.

VR46's title contender Bezzecchi set the pace for much of the 45 minutes, with Aprilia's Aleix Espargaro and Mooney team-mate Luca Marini completing the top three during the middle stages.

Bezzecchi was then pushed down the order by the appearance of some new medium rear tyres in the closing stages, but Bezzecchi returned the #72 to the head of the timesheets by just 0.036s over Marini on his final lap.

Pramac Ducati team-mates Jorge Martin and Johann Zarco followed with Jack Miller getting his KTM spectacularly sideways under braking on his way to best of the rest in fifth.

Reigning world champion Francesco Bagnaia moved to twelfth on his penultimate lap, then was frustrated to run wide.

In a change to the previous practice format, the Friday morning session has become a 'free practice' with only this afternoon's second practice decided the top ten riders with direct access to Qualifying 2.

Competing in his first session since confirmation he will be replaced at Monster Yamaha by Alex Rins next season, Franco Morbidelli was caught out by a cold rear tyre and flicked from his M1 on an out lap with 15mins to go.

The Italian looked to have some aero fitted at the time and team-mate Fabio Quartararo then duly emerged with bigger wings fitted, which would be their one available in-season aero update. Morbidelli returned to claim seventh and top Yamaha, with Quartararo tenth.

LCR Honda's Takaaki Nakagami also has some new aero this weekend, a wide 'ground effect' style design of the type first used by Aprilia. Meanwhile, factory Aprilia riders Espargaro and Maverick Vinales had a revised update to their lower fairings.

The Repsol Honda team of Marc Marquez and Joan Mir appeared to use HRC chassis this morning, while LCR riders Nakagami and stand-in Iker Lecuona ran the Kalex.

Marquez was the top RC213V rider, in 15th.

Taking part in his first MotoGP session since Portimao, the recovering Pol Espargaro was 22nd and last for GASGAS Tech3, 3.5s from Bezzecchi.

With the pits, paddock and starting grid being moved to the new Wing this year, a special practice start period was held after the session, which saw a fall for Enea Bastianini.

Read More

Subscribe to our MotoGP Newsletter

Get the latest MotoGP news, exclusives, interviews and promotions from the paddock direct to your inbox