Wet British Grand Prix MotoGP™ Sprint top ten for KTM duo as Miller makes the front row again

MotoGP 2023 - Round 9 of 20, Silverstone, Great Britain – Qualification and Sprint


Miller bags yet another front row MotoGP slot by using his wet weather skills to secure 2nd position and balances his way to the top seven in the Sprint
Binder circulates to the top three fastest on a dry Friday, qualifies 10th in the wet and then classifies 9th in a delicate race outing
Daniel Holgado rides his KTM RC4 to the front row in Moto3™ Q2 while Pedro Acosta toasts a brave Pole Position in Moto2™

 
A freak summer UK storm brought varying conditions at round nine of twenty in 2023 MotoGP: chilly but dry on Friday to soaking wet on Saturday for qualification and the ninth Sprint of the year. Silverstone swung wildly in its technical challenge and the fast, 18-corner and 5.6km length layout tested the teams and riders immensely in terms of traction and versatility of performance in the changing climate.
 
Red Bull KTM started the British Grand Prix in a formidable vein. Jack Miller slid his way into Q2 during Friday and Brad Binder was consistently competitive near the top of the time sheets. Both riders managed direct Q2 entry Friday afternoon and then braced themselves for the rain on Saturday that slowed the pace and created a lottery in terms of grip and precision. Miller dispersed the water to eye Pole Position and was only outdone by two tenths of a second. Binder was further back in 10th.


 
The Sprint was a cagey and cautious affair. The track began to dry as the worst of the rain disappeared. Miller started rapidly, briefly led and then had to administer the rest of the distance; crossing the line in 7th for more Saturday points. Binder circulated in the latter half of the top ten after catching up from a miscued start. He ensured he made the flag and was the final points-scorer in 9th.
 
MotoGP will run the full 20-lap distance on Sunday and at the usual CEST time of 14.00 (13.00 local). The weather forecast is for significantly drier skies.
 
Jack Miller, 2nd in qualification, 7th in the Sprint: “I felt mega this morning in the wet but the Sprint was a bit different and we missed grip, pure and simple. I did my best to stay with the guys but this is still a new bike for me and we haven’t had many of these half-wet, half-dry conditions this year. So, the big change we make in the set-up between the two means we’re still learning where to meet in the middle. Anyway, we stayed on the bike and were semi-competitive. The positive thing is that the bike still gives a good feeling and I never felt out of control. We have another front row start for tomorrow’s Grand Prix and we’ll be ready whatever the conditions.” 
 
Brad Binder, 10th in qualification, 9th in the Sprint: “I kept spinning when I released the clutch on the grid and was almost last when I went into Turn 1. I cooked the tire in the first laps as I pushed to come back but I didn’t really give myself any other option. We struggled with overheating the tire and laying down some traction but we learned for the future in the wet. I hope it is dry tomorrow because I had a great feeling here yesterday. I think tomorrow will be a lot more interesting.” 
 
Francesco Guidotti, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: “A pretty good start to the second part of the season here in Silverstone with both riders direct to Q2. We had good feelings, good grip and good confidence in the wet in the morning and were ready to attack. Unfortunately, the conditions then changed quite a lot and we couldn’t quite get the set-up on-point to provide the right grip for our riders. Brad had an unusually bad start and Jack could not profit from his front row start so the Sprint was a bit frustrating from the potential we showed up until that moment. We have another chance tomorrow!” 
 
British Grand Prix photographs can be found HERE
 
Results Qualifying MotoGP British Grand Prix
 
1. Marco Bezzecchi (ITA) Ducati 2.15.359
2. Jack Miller (AUS) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +0.270
3. Alex Marquez (ESP) Ducati +0.412
10. Brad Binder (RSA) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +1.318
 
Results MotoGP Sprint British Grand Prix
 
1. Alex Marquez (ESP) Ducati 21:52.317
2. Marco Bezzecchi (ITA) Ducati +0.366
3. Maverick Viñales (ESP) Aprilia +3.374
7. Jack Miller (AUS) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +9.415
9. Brad Binder (RSA) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +10.435



 
KTM GP Academy
 
The Moto3 and Moto2 classes tackled similar challenges in terms of key time attacks in Q1 and Q2 as the rain refused to ease during the first phase of the day. Red Bull KTM Tech3’s Daniel Holgado fell twice as he tried to find the limits in the damp but was 3rd fastest for the final slot on the front row and was half a second from Pole Position. Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Deniz Öncü was inside the top ten, in 9th place, and a few tenths of a second ahead of Holgado’s teammate Filippo Farioli who ranked a very decent 12th to sit on the fourth row. Fellow rookie Jose Rueda was 16th fastest.
 
Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Pedro Acosta built up his speed through Moto2 on Saturday and his mature and steady approach finally reached an effective conclusion in Q2. The showers had eased by the time of the crucial session but the track was still extremely wet and tricky to judge. The Spaniard was able to plot a route to Pole Position – his second of the season – by almost a second. Albert Arenas was punished by an early crash in Q2 and qualified 18th. For the first time this season the Moto2 race will take place after MotoGP and gets away from the grid at 15.30 CEST.


 
Pedro Acosta: “Super-happy. This morning was tough. There was a lot of water on the track and it was very tricky to push. It was not the moment [to take risks]. We are starting a new part of the season now and I know we struggled earlier in the year in the wet in Argentina and we’ve improved in this area. The team has worked very hard in the break to help us look for an advantage from this GP onwards and I think we have to be very happy with how it is going.”
 
Results Qualifying Moto3 British Grand Prix
 
1. Jaume Masia (ESP) Honda 2:25.072
2. Scott Ogden (GBR), Honda +0.363
3. Daniel Holgado (ESP) Red Bull KTM Tech3 +0.535
9. Deniz Öncü (TUR) Red Bull KTM Ajo +1.113
12. Filippo Farioli (ITA) Red Bull KTM Tech3 +1.579
16. Jose Rueda (ESP) Red Bull KTM Ajo +2.186
 
Results Qualifying Moto2 British Grand Prix
 
1. Pedro Acosta (ESP) Red Bull KTM Ajo 2:16.953
2. Fermin Aldeguer (ESP) +0.700
3. Zonta van der Goorbergh (NED) +0.711
18. Albert Arenas (ESP) Red Bull KTM Ajo 2:05.211
 
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Sarah Kinrade
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