Recapping the MotoGP/2/3 action from Silverstone on Friday

2024 MotoGP World Championship
Round Ten – Silverstone
MotoGP riders reflect on the opening day of practice at Silverstone

Jorge Martin – P1

“I felt really good straight away in the morning, I felt good and we we kept the same bike for the evening and then we had some issues we tried to change a bit, but finally overall, I felt I felt good in terms of pace in terms of time attack so let’s see if tomorrow we can keep this speed and this distance with our rivals.”

Aleix Espargaro – P2

“The new aerodynamics seem to be working well – the bike is more agile. We demonstrated a good pace, managing to do quite a few laps with outstanding times. The bike and I have always done rather well on this track. I find that do well on the flowing parts and I can go into corners fast. Plus, there are lots of third-gear turns, which is precisely where I am extremely strong.”

Francesco Bagnaia – P3

“I think we can be satisfied with how things went today. This is one of the tracks I love the most but I have always struggled on opening day, so I can say this was the best Friday we’ve had here so far. We’re still missing something: the bike is a little nervous, so we need to do some more work in this regard. We still managed to make a step forward this afternoon and I’m quite happy with the time attack. I made few little mistakes and I wasn’t using the hard front tyre – with which I feel more comfortable – but apparently tomorrow it’s going to be a bit cooler so it was important to try the medium option. Right now Jorge (Martín) has something extra and we need to understand why, even though we know it’s about the third sector.”

Enea Bastianini – P4

“It was a positive day, as I felt comfortable straight away with the base set-up. This afternoon we had an issue with the first bike which cost us a bit of time, but I was able to get up to speed as soon as I jumped on the second one, and I was quick. It was important to try the harder option at the front but in the end we chose not to, despite the temperatures were in line with that choice. In hindsight, we should have done it. I’m still happy because we did a good job: we’re in Q2 and tomorrow we’ll need another small step forward in order to battle for a spot on the front row.”

Jack Miller – P5

“Always a pleasure riding around Silverstone. Felt good all day and the bikes working well, happy to be in the fast track to Q2.”

Fabio Di Giannantonio – P6

“A good comeback, I’m happy even if we still lack a little to be super fast like the top guys. I’m pushing hard, the gaps are minimal, we’re all at the limit, but I’m happy with the work with the Team. We’re consistent, the time on the flying lap is good and the Q2 is always our goal for Friday. Let’s go back to the data and prepare ourselves as best as possible for tomorrow’s Sprint.”

Maverick Vinales – P8

“I rediscovered good sensations with the Aprilia RS-GP24. We were extremely competitive, both in terms of race pace and on the flying lap. I might have expected more in the final time attack, but I’m not worried. We know that in qualifying and in the sprint race we can do well and, most importantly, I figured out how to best exploit the tyres to maintain a good race pace.”

Marco Bezzecchi – P9

“A positive Friday, but with dramatic back stage. A bit of everything happened, but we made it to Q2. I lost time, I wasn’t able to work well on the race pace, but I’m happy with the feeling while riding. Qualifying for Q2 was necessary, we don’t come from easy GPs. Tomorrow we’ll try to recover in terms of work and then understand which tire to use for the race. I’m a fan of the hard tire in front, but if the temperatures aren’t right it’s not the best option. I’m deciding between soft and medium, I need a few laps to understand better.”

Marc Marquez – P10

“This has arguably been our worst Friday of the season. The only thing we can save from it is the position. We need a lot of work in order to be between fifth and tenth, and we’re not looking for anything higher than that. We’re almost half a second away pace-wise from the top and we need to find a way to get closer. Too bad for the crash, but I wasn’t feeling at my best on the bike.”

Raul Fernandez – P12

“It wasn’t an easy day. I had a lot of work to do, not just working on the new bike, but also with some new devices for me. In FP1, it was pretty difficult; when I tried the bike in Jerez during the test, it felt very easy, but today, I discovered after three weeks without being on the bike, here in Silverstone, it was quite a job. I didn’t have a great feeling in FP1 but with the team we worked really hard before the Practice session this afternoon and I then had a really good setup on the bike and I was immediately competitive – in the top 10 nearly all the session. The pace was good but I need to have more experience with the bike, it’s different to the RS-GP23. But I’m very happy, the team worked well and I worked through a full program and enjoyed myself on the bike. I already felt there is a lot of margin and I was competitive but, it was a very busy day in the garage and now we have to understand the bike better, improve the setting and try to get faster.”

Pedro Acosta – P13

“It is nice to finally be back on track, with some new things on the bike! Super flowing tracks like Silverstone are not the easiest for me, but we took our time today to understand how I needed to ride the bike here, and overall I am quite happy because I felt fast, although we missed Q2. We need to put everything together for tomorrow to try to make it to Q2, but good feeling on our first day, with good steps made.”

Alex Marquez – P14

“We were feeling good this morning. We tried some set-up modifications that had worked well in Germany, but there are some unpredictable movements on the bike which require some work. Too bad for the last lap in the afternoon as I was only two tenths away from P1 before making a mistake. There’s work to be done tomorrow, but we are aiming at being among the top twelve and therefore in Q2.”

Miguel Oliveira – P15

“Today was a strange day. I had a few technical issues in the morning and couldn’t get much feedback, as well as shaking the rust off after the summer break. Then, in the afternoon, we basically started with the same base setting, but we soon found that was not the way, so we tried to make a change during the Practice. There is still a big bridge to close to be able to ride faster – I’m lacking a lot of stability, especially on the rear when on throttle, so we are just looking to solve that for tomorrow. I didn’t feel incredible on the bike today and I was quite slow. Each lap time I did was really attacking the bike too much and just reacting to what it was doing and not really comfortable so I hope to find some more speed tomorrow.”

Fabio Quartararo – P16

“We are far off Q2. I expected much more from the bike improvement we brought to this race weekend. Unfortunately, it wasn’t like we expected, and we have to analyse it and try to make a step for tomorrow. The feeling with the bike is not really great, so we’ll work on that and try to be closer to the others. Anyway, I think it would be good to do more laps and gather more feedback to try to bring this bike to its absolute limit.”

Johann Zarco – P17

“After a long break, returning to the MotoGP bike is good. I’ve been riding better, as I feel I’ve improved in some areas of my riding style. Today’s feedback has been clear, and we’ve seen some positives. Despite the final position, during the practices, I’ve occupied higher positions than usually, and that’s interesting. I’m trying to stay calm and do my best with our package.”

Alex Rins – P18

“During the whole day we have done a good job with the set-up, and we have improved constantly, especially during the last part of the Practice, and I felt that we were quite competitive. I’ve worked super hard to be back here at the British GP, and I was eager to jump on the bike again after the surgery and missing the German GP. But to be honest, I experienced more pain than I was expecting in the wrist after doing so many laps today. So now I’ll have to go to my physio to do some recovery sessions and evaluate my condition.”

Luca Marini – P19

“We’ve been able to continue what we were doing before the summer; I have made a big step with my riding style to suit the needs of the Honda and also the team are continuing to work to meet my needs. Like this we have been able to continue improving and now we are able to challenge the other RC213Vs more and more. I’m enjoying riding more and more and it’s easier to be fast. There is more to do, but the direction is continuing in the right way.”

Augusto Fernandez – P20

“I am happy to be back on the bike, but it was quite a hard day. We are still far from the rest in terms of lap times. We struggled a bit with the grip, but eventually we found some directions this afternoon, so let’s get to work tonight, and try to make a step tomorrow.”

Joan Mir – P21

“The time sheets are similar to the last races, and we are focusing on making the most of our current package before we get some more upgrades. In the recent rounds we have been trying some different things with the aim of taking two steps forward in the future. Each day we aim to make some steps forward and I think we are not as far as it seems in many of the areas. We keep on working and see what happens on Saturday.”

Takaaki Nakagami – P22

“I’m happy to be back, and I love this circuit. Today’s performance was better in the morning, as I suffered a crash in the afternoon at turn nine. After that, I didn’t feel good on the bike due to a lack of grip. We are working hard to take a step”.

Remy Gardner – P23

“I was struggling today, but I improved a lot from the morning to the afternoon. I improved the bike a little bit, but it’s not easy. This morning, I was a bit lost just with the lines at this circuit: it’s such a wide track, and it’s so fast. I’m not used to the corner speeds of this bike, and I don’t know the limits yet of the Michelins. I got my work cut out for me this weekend, but we just need to keep calm and keep chipping away at it, like we did between FP1 and Practice. We are now going to sit down again and go through the data. We will work on the electronics set-up, which is where we’re missing out. I was testing some new parts. In the end, this is Yamaha’s test team, and I need to do these tests, even though it’s a race weekend.”

Alex Rins withdraws

“After assessing my medical condition with my doctors, we have come to the conclusion that the most responsible thing for me is to skip the remaining part of the British GP.  As you can imagine, I feel sorry for the team and for myself. Every single lap that we have done this season has proven to be useful for the development of the bike and for closing the gap to other manufacturers. But the pain that I‘m feeling and the risk of a bigger injury, along with the medical advice, makes me take this decision. I hope to be back on track and working again very soon. Thank you everybody for your support.”

Team Managers

Paolo Bonora – Aprilia Racing

“We are extremely pleased with the way this day went. The aerodynamic package that we introduced seems to work because the riders’ comments were positive. The work done during the summer break is bearing the fruit we had hoped for. We’ll continue to work in view of both the sprint Race and the long race.”

Wilco Zeelenberg – Trackhouse Team Manager

“The conditions on day one here have been great. The track is in good condition and the weather has been nice. Raul didn’t feel very comfortable with his new package this morning but, this afternoon, with some small adjustments he made a big step and improved the pace a lot. Miguel struggled a little bit to get everything out of the package today. With one tire there was not enough grip and with another tire a lot of movement, so we need to find the right balance to be able to make a better lap. The boys didn’t qualify straight through for Q2, which is always our target but, anyway, the speed is there and the feeling is good, so we all have high hopes that we can manage to go through Q1 tomorrow.”

Massimo Meregalli – Monster Yamaha Team Director

“First of all, I would like to express my sympathies to Álex. Riders are always disappointed when they can’t ride, but perhaps this one is even more frustrating for Álex as the British GP is a very special round. It’s significant for Monster Energy, who sponsor this round, and also for Dorna who are staging the MotoGP 75th Anniversary celebrations. Moreover, Álex really likes Silverstone and has gotten great results here, so it’s definitely a let-down. However, his health and well-being must take priority. We therefore decided that it was not worth it for him to continue the British GP race weekend and hope to have him back in Austria in a better condition. As of tomorrow, Remy will be operating from the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP garage. However, Remy will still be riding for the Yamaha Factory Racing MotoGP Test Team for the remainder of the British GP weekend.”

Friday MotoGP Report

Jorge Martin edged out 2023 Silverstone victor Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) by 0.045s after clocking a 1:57.911 on Friday at Silverstone. World Championship leader Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) bagged P3, lurking just 0.119s away from his main title challenger as it stands.

It wasn’t an ideal start to Friday afternoon for a pair of Ducatis as both Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) and Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) were forced to stop due to some form of issue with their respective machines.

Meanwhile, Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) was the early pacesetter, but as we’ve come to expect, the closing 15 minutes was where the thick of the action took place in Practice 1. There were movements aplenty as the other factory Aprilia, Espargaro, climbed to the summit with the clock ticking down, but it was time attack specialist Martin who managed to clinch Friday’s honours with that late time.

Bagnaia also improved towards the end of the session, with team-mate Bastianini leaving it until his last lap to set a personal best – the ‘Beast’ ending the day in P4 despite those early bike gremlins.

Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) ended Free Practice 1 in P4 and backed that up with a P5 in the afternoon to remind everyone what he’s capable of.

Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) fronts the GP23 charge in P6.

Miller’s team-mate Brad Binder ensured both factory KTM’s are automatically in the Q2 scrap on Saturday morning, with Viñales slipping down the order but holding onto a P8.

Bezzecchi and Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP) were the final two riders to slot inside the top 10, with the eight-time World Champion – who suffered a crash in FP1 – just 0.057s away from finding himself in Q1.

After on track action was finished and after consulting medical staff, Álex Rins decided to retire from the Monster Energy British Grand Prix due to the hand and foot injury he sustained in Round 8, the Dutch GP.

With Rins retiring from the British GP, there is a vacant spot in the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP garage. For logistical reason, Remy Gardner will move from the Yamaha Factory Racing MotoGP Test Team garage to the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP garage for the remainder of the race weekend. However, Gardner will still be riding for the Yamaha Factory Racing MotoGP Test Team.

MotoGP Practice Times

MotoGP Championship Standings

Moto2

A new Moto2 Silverstone lap record handed Aron Canet (Fantic Racing) top honours on Friday at the Monster Energy British Grand Prix, with the Spaniard’s 2:03.602 time just under three tenths quicker than Celestino Vietti (Red Bull KTM Ajo) in second place. The leading pair were the only riders to venture into the 2:03s on Day 1, with Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) rounding out the top three, 0.457s away from Canet.

Jake Dixon (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team) goes into Saturday’s action in P7 as the home crowd favourite aims to build on a solid Friday outing.

The top two in the title chase and MT Helmets – MSI teammates, Ai Ogura and Sergio Garcia, are P4 and P8 respectively at the end of play on Friday, with the latter suffering a crash in the afternoon that hampered his Practice 1.

Senna Agius was down in 20th place at the end of day one but the times are pretty tight.

Moto2 Practice One Times

Moto2 Championship Standings

Moto3

Despite a crash in the afternoon, Collin Veijer (Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP) topped the Moto3 times on Friday at Silverstone as the Dutchman set a 2:09.565 to end the day a healthy 0.387s clear of second place Ivan Ortola (MT Helmet – MSI).

After his heartbreak from the German Grand Prix that saw finish with a DNF while being provisionally in the top 10, Jacob Roulstone is hungry for points this weekend. Free Practice rolled on as usual for Jacob, as he found his marks on the 5.9 km layout. His best in 2’11.635 saw him finish the session in P14, two seconds off the leader. In Practice 1, Jacob pushed a bit more and we saw him progressively reduce the gap with his opponents. With 5 minutes left on the clock, the rookie set a great lap in 2’10.038, one that had him provisionally in P2! Eventually, that time saw him close the session in third, meaning that the rookie heads to Saturday with a provisional ticket for Q2 to defend.

Jacob Roulstone – P3

“We had a good summer break, mainly spent with family, with a good training program, which seems to be paying off as we are coming back at a good pace, which I am happy with. Time attack tyres still feel a bit challenging for us at the moment, but the boys are working hard to figure out a way for me to get better. The race pace felt good with the medium-medium from the start, which is positive for us considering the weather forecast of the weekend. It’s only Friday, but it is a good first day back at school, so a very positive day for us.”

Scott Ogden (Fibre Tec Honda – MLav Racing) enjoyed a fruitful day at the office and heads into qualifying day P4 on the timesheets.

World Championship leader David Alonso (CFMOTO Valresa Aspar Team) was another title chaser to crash on Friday afternoon, with the Colombian ending Day 1 in P6, 0.597s adrift of the summit.

Joel Kelso finished the opening day at Silverstone in 13th place on the time-sheets.

Moto3 Practice One Times

Moto3 Championship Standings