Raul Fernandez secures British MotoGP victory at Silverstone, Martin extends championship lead
Raul Fernandez of SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team achieved a dominant victory at Silverstone, leading from the start to claim his second Grand Prix win and first of the 2026 season. He finished ahead of Aprilia Racing duo Jorge Martin and Marco Bezzecchi. This result allowed Martin to extend his championship lead over Bezzecchi in the standings.
Fernandez, who had crashed in Saturday’s sprint, started from P2 and quickly took the lead, securing the holeshot ahead of Bezzecchi. Polesitter Martin and Ai Ogura (SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team) were involved in early battles. Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) moved into third place early in the race. Fernandez established a significant lead, setting a new race lap record by Lap 3 and building a 2-second gap.
Race Incidents and Standings
Several riders experienced incidents during the race. Ogura dropped to P7 after early battles. Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) moved up to fifth, with Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) behind him. Between Laps 6 and 7, Enea Bastianini (Red Bull KTM Tech3) fell at Turn 17, Iker Lecuona (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) crashed at Turn 12, and Cal Crutchlow (CASTROL Honda LCR) tumbled at Turn 6. On Lap 8, Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) also fell at Turn 7.
On Lap 9, Martin overtook his teammate Bezzecchi, while Alex Marquez moved into third. Ogura’s race ended in the gravel at Turn 16. Alex Marquez made a mistake at Turn 1, dropping to fifth, but later regained fourth place, passing Acosta. Marc Marquez remained in contention during this period.
Closing Stages and Final Results
In the final laps, Fernandez maintained a strong lead, being over four seconds ahead of the opposition, led by Martin and then Bezzecchi. Although the gap between Fernandez and Martin reduced to 3.4 seconds with four laps remaining, and then 3.1 seconds a lap later, Fernandez’s victory was not threatened. On Lap 18, Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) and Marc Marquez renewed their rivalry, with Di Giannantonio moving ahead of the reigning World Champion.
Fernandez secured his first Grand Prix victory of the season, becoming the 12th different winner at Silverstone in the last 12 British Grands Prix. He finished 2.5 seconds ahead of Martin, who now holds a 31-point lead over teammate Bezzecchi. Bezzecchi finished third, completing an all-Aprilia podium. Alex Marquez finished fourth, followed by Acosta and Di Giannantonio. Marc Marquez finished seventh, placing him 40 points behind Martin in the title race. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) secured his first back-to-back top ten finishes of the year in eighth. Luca Marini (Honda HRC Castrol) was the top Honda rider in ninth, with Diogo Moreira (Pro Honda LCR) completing the top ten.
The second half of the season has commenced, with Martin extending his lead. Ogura lost significant points after his first crash in a race this season. The MotoGP has extended its contract with Silverstone to keep the British Grand Prix on the calendar until at least 2028. The next race of 2026 is the Aragon Grand Prix in Spain on 30 August.
Source: motogp.com
