MotoGP Silverstone: Jorge Martin returns to pole, Aprilia sends a message to Ducati

Aprilia trio up front in Great Britain, Ducati suffers a setback in Q2: will there be a reaction in the races?

MotoGP Qualifying at Silverstone ended with pole position for Jorge Martin, who fired in a record lap at the end of Q2 and will start ahead of everyone in the sprint race and the main race. Raul Fernandez was pipped by 21 thousandths, with the front row completed by another Aprilia, that of Ai Ogura. Martinator had never started from the front row at the British venue. The Noale factory confirms its strength and hopes to capitalize on its potential when it’s time to race.

Franco Morbidelli and Iker Lecuona were the riders who advanced from Q1 to Q2, taking the two available spots. A big surprise from the Spaniard, whom the BK8 Gresini team called up from World Superbike to replace the absent Fermin Aldeguer. He had already raced with Nadia Padovani’s squad at Balaton Park, where he filled in for Alex Marquez and impressed with seventh place in the main race. Today he did well to follow Morbidelli, using him effectively as a reference.

Fabio Quartararo came very close to pipping Lecuona at the end of Q1, missing out by 50 thousandths. The Yamaha rider will have to start from thirteenth on the grid in both of the weekend’s races.

No joy for Pecco Bagnaia either, who arrived at Silverstone not in optimal physical condition after surgeries for compartment syndrome and carpal tunnel. Beyond physical limitations, the two-time MotoGP champion is also struggling with the feeling on his Ducati. He will start sixteenth. Enea Bastianini also had a rough time and will line up nineteenth on his Tech3 KTM.

All-Aprilia front row, while the best Ducati is Fabio Di Giannantonio’s: the VR46 rider set the fourth-fastest time, sharing the second row with Marco Bezzecchi on Aprilia and Marc Marquez on the factory team’s Desmosedici GP26.

Two more Ducatis are on the third row, those of Alex Marquez and Morbidelli, with Pedro Acosta going no better than ninth on his KTM RC16. On the fourth row are Lecuona, Jack Miller’s Yamaha, and Joan Mir’s Honda. The Sprint will start at 5:00 p.m. Italian time, while Sunday’s race is scheduled for the usual 2:00 p.m.

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