Marco Bezzecchi seized the spotlight with a stunning British MotoGP 2025 win, marking his maiden Aprilia victory in a dramatic, unpredictable and incident-filled race at Silverstone.
The race was a rollercoaster of emotions, marked by technical failures, red flags, and a thrilling restart that saw several top riders granted a second chance after early crashes.
Sunday’s MotoGP Silverstone race began under dramatic circumstances. Alex Marquez, fresh off his sprint race victory, rocketed off the line to take the early lead but immediately lost the front at Turn 1, crashing out and triggering a chain reaction.
Meanwhile, wild-card rider Aleix Espargaro and Franco Morbidelli collided at Vale on the second lap with Espargaro’s bike clipping Morbidelli and leaving oil on the track.
The race leader at that point, Marc Marquez, then crashed through the high-speed Maggotts/Becketts complex, sliding across the asphalt but managing to cling to his Ducati.
The oil spill prompted race officials to red-flag the event, allowing for a restart as less than three laps had been completed—giving a lifeline to all riders involved in the initial Silverstone chaos.
At the restart, polesitter Fabio Quartararo on the factory Yamaha quickly asserted his dominance. He grabbed the lead and built a commanding advantage with Jack Miller, Marco Bezzecchi, and Johann Zarco following closely.
The field was split on tyre choices: Quartararo, Bezzecchi and Zarco opted for the soft front tyre, gambling on the tricky cool conditions while Marc Marquez and other contenders chose the medium front which proved less forgiving in the chilly environment.
Quartararo seemed poised for British MotoGP 2025 win as he opened up a five-second lead by lap 6, with Bezzecchi passing Miller for second. Behind them, Marc Marquez struggled with multiple front-end moments on the medium front tyre, dropping to eighth before gradually recovering.
The factory Ducati of Francesco Bagnaia who snatched the holeshot at the restart also suffered from instability and crashed out from 12th on lap 4, leaving him visibly distraught in the pits.
Full MotoGP Silverstone 2025 Race Results
Meanwhile, Alex Marquez who had crashed out of the original start was making progress through the field on the medium front, eventually running as high as sixth.
However, the turning point came with seven laps remaining after Quartararo who had been in control for most of the race, suffered a catastrophic technical failure when the rear ride-height device on his Yamaha locked in the lowered position.
Despite frantic attempts to release the system by repeatedly hitting the brakes, Quartararo was forced to pull over and park his M1 at the side of the track. His heartbreak was palpable as he collapsed to the ground, his hopes of victory dashed in the cruelest fashion.
Marco Bezzecchi now in the lead managed his advantage with remarkable composure. He kept Honda’s Johann Zarco at bay, crossing the line to take British MotoGP 2025 win, marking his first victory for Aprilia and the RS-GP’s first win since COTA last season.
MORE MOTOGP:
Aprilia: Jorge Martin contract ‘valid and in effect’ amid exit reports
The Italian’s triumph was a significant moment for the team, coming just two weeks after reports that reigning world champion Jorge Martin was considering activating a performance clause in his contract to leave Aprilia at the end of 2025.
Bezzecchi’s MotoGP Silverstone victory also made him the eleventh different Silverstone grand prix winner in the last eleven years, underscoring the unpredictability of the iconic circuit.
Meanwhile, Johann Zarco secured a strong second place for Castrol Honda LCR, marking a rare podium for Honda in a season dominated by European manufacturers.
Marc Marquez despite his earlier crash and struggles with the medium front tyre, staged a remarkable recovery to finish third after a tense last-lap battle with Franco Morbidelli who finished fourth.
Alex Marquez rounded out the top five on the Gresini Ducati, Pedro Acosta was the top KTM finisher in sixth, while Jack Miller brought the Pramac Yamaha home in seventh.
Fermin Aldeguer finished eighth for Gresini Ducati with Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina VR46 Ducati) and Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol) completing the top ten.
Notably, Maverick Viñales, Raul Fernandez, Alex Rins, Brad Binder and Luca Marini all finished outside the top ten with Marini, Enea Bastianini, Lorenzo Savadori and Somkiat Chantra all receiving 16-second time penalties for tyre infractions.
The penalties shuffled Marini from eighth to 15th while Bastianini, Savadori and Chantra were already the last three riders to finish.
