Marco Bezzecchi
Marco Bezzecchi claimed his first win for Aprilia at the British Grand Prix. The victory came at the expense of Fabio Quartararo.
The Yamaha rider grabbed his third consecutive pole position at Silverstone ahead of Alex Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia. However, he could not take advantage in the Sprint as he fell back to P7.
The drop in pace was alarming as Alex Marquez went on to win on Saturday. Quartararo insists he is ‘not stupid’ as he knows how to ride the bike, but does not understand why the YZR-M1 suddenly dipped in performance.
On Sunday, the 2021 MotoGP champion enjoyed a better start and took advantage of Ducati’s struggles. Bagnaia and Marc Marquez could not get the bike to adapt to the cold conditions, with the former crashing out and the latter coming home third behind Johann Zarco.
Quartararo built a sizeable gap at the front and looked set to win the British Grand Prix and his first race since Germany in 2022. However, disaster struck on lap 12 as his ride height device engaged at turn six and got stuck in position, forcing him to retire.
Marco Bezzecchi consoled Fabio Quartararo in the media pen after Silverstone retirement
The Yamaha rider was devastated as he fell to his knees on the pit straight next to his stricken YZR-M1. Quartararo was in tears during his post-race interview, having had a certain win cruelly snatched from his grasp.
The beneficiary was Bezzecchi, who passed Quartararo through Maggots and Becketts and went on to control the race from there. He beat Zarco by over four seconds to claim his first win since 2023 and Aprilia’s first since Maverick Vinales won in Austin last season.
Bezzecchi found a ‘trick’ during his recon lap that allowed him to adapt to the gusts of wind in the corners. He used that to his advantage as the RS-GP25 displayed strong pace all weekend.
It was a brilliant win for Aprilia, but Bezzecchi could not help but feel bad for Quartararo, who was destined for victory. In a behind-the-scenes video of the Italian on the official MotoGP YouTube channel, he was seen consoling the Yamaha rider in the media pen.
“I am really sorry. You were doing a great race,” said Bezzecchi as he embraced Quartararo. The Frenchman was grateful for the Aprilia rider’s gesture as he replied: “Thank you.”
READ MORE: Everything to know about Marco Bezzecchi from net worth to race number
Marco Bezzecchi’s Silverstone win vindicated Aprilia amid Jorge Martin conflict
Bezzecchi’s win moves Aprilia ahead of KTM and Yamaha in the standings. It was a much-needed confidence boost for the team as Jorge Martin contemplates his future.
Martin has activated an exit clause in his contract as he is dissatisfied with Aprilia’s progress and performance of the bike, despite only competing in one race in 2025. Silverstone proved that the RS-GP25 can be competitive.
Aleix Espargaro says everyone knew Aprilia’s bike wasn’t bad heading into the weekend. Massimo Rivola says Martin has been sent a clear message with Bezzecchi’s win; he does have a competitive bike waiting for him when he returns.
Despite the victory, the Noale outfit are not getting too carried away amid the situation with the Spaniard. ‘No part’ of Aprilia is ‘smug’ toward Martin after Bezzecchi’s win as they know they have to keep up the performance.
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