Jorge Martín won the MotoGP Sprint race at Silverstone on Saturday after setting a record pole position time in qualifying.
The Spanish Aprilia Racing rider dominated the Sprint race in Great Britain, leading an Aprilia top three sweep and extending his World Championship advantage.
Martín acknowledged that he finally felt like a true championship leader after Saturday's performance. He had held the standings lead since passing Marco Bezzecchi following the Netherlands Grand Prix, but he admitted that poor feelings on the bike had made him question his position.
Determined to improve his speed, Martín spent the summer break training intensely on a bicycle, a sport where he competes at a semi-professional level. He stated that he took little rest during the vacation so he could arrive at Silverstone ready to deliver on track.
Managing tire alarms in Silverstone
Martín pulled away early in the Sprint race as his competitors struggled with severe performance drops on the soft rear tire. Speaking to Dazn, Martín said he did not understand how his rivals failed to catch him, noting that he had missed the podium in earlier races where he felt much better.
Martín added that he felt terrible during the race and saw warning alarms for tire temperature, but he still managed the situation to claim victory in 19 minutes and 49.066 seconds.
SuperFile Trackhouse rider Ai Ogura finished second, 1.530 seconds behind Martín, after failing to mount his customary late-race attack. The result allowed Martín to expand his championship lead over Ogura to 17 points.
Aprilia Racing teammate Marco Bezzecchi completed the podium in third place, 3.974 seconds off the winner. Returning from injury, Bezzecchi said he felt happier with third place than with some of his past wins, adding that he felt good despite finishing the race exhausted.
Tire troubles for Marc Márquez
The podium result marked the first Sprint race top three sweep in Aprilia history, while Ducati riders struggled far more than anticipated. Ducati Lenovo rider Marc Márquez endured a difficult Saturday after previously warning that he was focused on damage limitation at Silverstone.
Márquez aborted his final lap in the second qualifying session while setting a fast time because he misread a yellow and red flag as a pure yellow flag. The flag only warned of bike debris on the track rather than requiring riders to slow down, dropping Márquez from the front row to sixth on the grid.
During the Sprint, Márquez attempted to push on the third lap to join the lead group, but his soft rear tire degraded rapidly. Márquez explained that he noticed an issue with his rear tire immediately and tried to manage the rubber, but the race quickly became a battle for survival.
Multiple riders overtook Márquez before he crossed the finish line in ninth place, 13.965 seconds behind Martín, to salvage a single point. Riders are expected to switch to the medium rear tire for Sunday's full-length race at double the distance.
Silverstone Sprint race classification
- 1. Jorge Martín (Spain/Aprilia Racing) 19:49.066
- 2. Ai Ogura (Japan/SuperFile Trackhouse) +1.530
- 3. Marco Bezzecchi (Italy/Aprilia Racing) +3.974
- 4. Álex Márquez (Spain/BK8 Gresini) +6.956
- 5. F. Di Giannantonio (Italy/Pertamina VR46) +8.651
- 6. Pedro Acosta (Spain/Red Bull KTM) +10.745
- 7. Joan Mir (Spain/Honda HRC Castrol) +10.826
- 9. Marc Márquez (Spain/Ducati Lenovo) +13.965
