Aleix Espargaro smashes lap record to MotoGP British GP Pole at Silverstone

Aleix Espargaro took Pole position for the British Grand Prix setting a new lap record with a 1:57.309. Championship leader Francesco Bagnaia starts second, ahead of rival Jorge Martin, starting 4th.

Alex Marquez and Pedro Acosta managed to fight their way out of Q1 after incredibly tight margins. Many riders were within touching distance of going through to Q2, most notably both of the Trackhouse Aprilia riders and also Prima Pramac’s Franco Morbidelli.

However, after a few fast runs, Alex Marquez would top the timesheets in Q1 with a 1:58.373 to secure his place in Q2, with Acosta just a few hundredths of a second behind, and Morbidelli a couple of tenths down.

The Aprilia’s have continued their characteristic of being able to turn sharply into the corners, something which will certainly assist them at the Silverstone circuit. However, with the long straights, the Ducati’s will of course be the powerhouse and likely dominate the field. KTM also appear to be strong and performing somewhere in between the Power of a Ducati, and the Agileness of an Aprilia.

In Q2, Marc Marquez would follow Bagnaia incredibly closely, with Bagnaia setting a 1:57.900’s on the first run, with Marquez just one tenth back. Marquez and Gresini Ducati have struggled somewhat to adapt to the circuit this weekend so far,

However, as Bagnaia held provisional pole position, eventually the field went on for their final run, with Bagnaia running wide at Turn 1 and the VR46 Ducati’s making a couple of mistakes in front of Marc Marquez.

Jorge Martin had a relatively quiet Qualifying session considering his impressive times in Free Practice, he set a personal best lap of a 1:57.700s.

However, it would be Aleix Espargaro who brought his Aprilia to the front of the field, setting the fastest lap and shattering the lap record by multiple tenths as the 2023 British GP winner takes pole position for 2024.

Featured Image: Piaggio Group