08.08.2026
MotoGP 2026 - Round 12 of 22, Silverstone – Qualification and Sprint
The 2026 Grand Prix season restarted at a sun-soaked Silverstone circuit for the twelfth round of the campaign and Red Bull KTM emerged from the 10-lap Sprint with a best result of 6th; scored by Pedro Acosta. The Spaniard earned Saturday points for the tenth time this term. In Moto3™ the KTM GP Academy was best represented by Valentin Perrone who rode to the 3rd fastest lap in qualification with the KTM RC4.
Highlights and key moments from Silverstone:
- Pedro Acosta harnesses maximum rear grip to score 4 points with 6th position in Britain
- Brad Binder made a late charge up to P11 and classified four positions ahead of Enea Bastianini
- Pol Espargaro completed his first competitive appearance of 2026 to replace Maverick Viñales, who is still unfit from recent shoulder complications, and bagged P18 in the Sprint
- Moto3 front row for Red Bull KTM Tech3’s Valentin Perrone as three KTM GP Academy riders find qualifying slots in the top seven
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing and Red Bull KTM Tech3 landed in the UK to open the second phase of 2026. Almost 50 years since Silverstone first hosted the British Grand Prix, MotoGP was back laying Michelin rubber around the wide, varied curves of the flat course. Silverstone’s technical combination of kinks and sections forms the longest lap on the MotoGP calendar.
The three-week summer hiatus was not enough for Maverick Viñales to increase the conditioning of his left shoulder and the Red Bull KTM Tech3 rider was replaced in Silverstone by Pol Espargaro. The Spaniard took a break from his testing duties with the new KTM 850cc prototype to make his first Grand Prix outing of the season.
Pedro Acosta edged into Q2 directly after Practice on Friday afternoon as eight of the 22 riders posted times underneath the old lap record. The sunshine and good weather continued into Saturday. Acosta ended up 9th in Q2; 0.7 of a second from Pole. Brad Binder and Enea Bastianini took 8th and 9th in Q1 (meaning 18th and 19th on the grid) while Pol started the Sprint from 21st.
Acosta settled into an early pace on the edge of the points and inside the top ten. The Spaniard was able to nurse his soft rear tire through the Sprint while rivals struggled and eventually made his way to P6 by the flag. Binder opted for a medium tire choice and that meant he was one of the fastest on track in the closing stages. The South African pushed up from outside the top 15 to P11. Bastianini recorded a P15. Espargaro registered 18th place in the Sprint after a tussle with former world champion Francesco Bagnaia.
MotoGP will begin at 13.00 local time (14.00 CEST) on Sunday and for 20 laps.
Pedro Acosta, 9th in qualification, 6th in the Sprint: “The tire drop was worse than we expected. It is much hotter than last year here so maybe that didn’t help. I started to have problems from lap three and it was a long race managing. I came back a bit by lap five and then dropped again. Some other riders suffered more than me…but others were faster than me. Let’s see tomorrow.”
Brad Binder, 18th in qualification, 11th in the Sprint: “A chaotic morning and we had a few problems but we went with the medium tire for the Sprint because I felt it could get me to the end better and it was actually a really good option. Happy with the choice and my bike felt pretty decent. I’m happy to get an idea of what we can do tomorrow.”
Enea Bastianini, 19th in qualification, 15th in the Sprint: “Difficult day. I was confident but, like last year, the track was complicated and I didn’t have contact with the front, and that makes it hard for me to ride. We tried to be competitive but I was overtaking and losing positions all the time. With the longer race tomorrow I think we can do something better. I hope because so far this has not been the weekend we were expecting.”
Pol Espargaro, 21st in qualification, 18th in the Sprint: “I’m missing speed at the moment and I fought a bit too much at the start of the race and it cost me time to the group in front, that then found another gear. The drop of the tire came when I was alone. I felt that I could not take 100% of my potential today but that’s racing and I haven’t done it for a while. I think people will take is a bit more easy tomorrow and that will make my life better and simpler to fight for something.”
Aki Ajo, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: “In and around the top ten is not too bad for a result especially because Silverstone was a challenging track for us as well last year. We are making steps forward and we’re waiting for tomorrow’s race where the longer distance should help us reach higher positions. This has to be the target. The end of the Sprint today showed some positive reactions and we are hopeful for Sunday.”
Grand Prix of Great Britain photographs can be found HERE
Results Qualifying MotoGP Grand Prix of Great Britain
1. Jorge Martin (ESP) Aprilia 1:56.160
2. Raul Fernandez (ESP) Aprilia +0.021
3. Ai Ogura (JPN) Aprilia +0.189
9. Pedro Acosta (ESP) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +0.722
18. Brad Binder (RSA) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 1:58.081 (Q1)
19. Enea Bastianini (ITA) Red Bull KTM Tech3 1:58.120 (Q1)
21. Pol Espargaro (ESP) Red Bull KTM Tech3 1:58.414 (Q1)
Results MotoGP Sprint Grand Prix of Great Britain
1. Jorge Martin (ESP) Aprilia 19:49.066
2. Ai Ogura (JPN) Aprilia +1.530
3. Marco Bezzecchi (ITA) Aprilia +3.974
6. Pedro Acosta (ESP) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +10.745
11. Brad Binder (RSA) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +14.142
15. Enea Bastianini (ITA) Red Bull KTM Tech3 +16.892
18. Pol Espargaro (ESP) Red Bull KTM Tech3 +24.380
KTM GP Academy
Moto3 prioritized slipstreaming and racecraft for the 18 swooping curves at Silverstone. Red Bull KTM Ajo’s in-form Brian Uriarte occupied his now-customary slot near the top of the time screens with the KTM RC4. Red Bull KTM Tech3’s Valentin Perrone was also a pacesetter. After the dash through Q2 on Saturday afternoon Perrone’s consistency around the long Silverstone trajectory paid off. The Argentine was 0.3 from Pole Position and assumed a front row slot on the grid for one of his best Saturday performances of the season.
Alvaro Carpe outshone teammate Uriarte by almost three tenths of a second to take P5 for the center of the second row. Brian made sure of P7 while Rico Salmela qualified P19 on his first attempt at Silverstone.
Moto2 was typically tight and competitive with 14 riders split by less than one second after qualification. Red Bull KTM Ajo duo Collin Veijer was close in P15 and a Q2 session that was interrupted by a red flag. Jose Antonio Rueda’s first Moto2 laps of Silverstone saw the reigning Moto3 world champion in Q1 and with P23 on the grid.
Grand Prix race day begins with Moto2 instead of Moto3 in Great Britain and opens at 12.15.
Results Qualifying Moto3 Grand Prix of Great Britain
1. Scott Ogden (GBR), KTM 2:09.126
2. Adrian Cruces (ESP), KTM +0.274
3. Valentin Perrone (ARG) Red Bull KTM Tech3 +0.332
5. Alvaro Carpe (ESP), Red Bull KTM Ajo +0.459
7. Brian Uriarte (ESP), Red Bull KTM Ajo +0.725
11. Maximo Quiles (ESP), CFMOTO Aspar Team +1.207
14. Marco Morelli (ARG) CFMOTO Aspar Team +1.455
19. Rico Salmela (FIN), Red Bull KTM Tech3 2:11.362 (Q1)
Results Qualifying Moto2 Grand Prix of Great Britain
1. Izan Guevara (ESP) 2:01.483
2. Alonso Lopez (ESP) +0.326
3. Ivan Ortola (ESP) +0.419
7. Daniel Holgado (ESP) CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team +0.813
15. Collin Veijer (NED) Red Bull KTM Ajo +1.044
19. David Alonso (COL) CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team 2:02.764 (Q1)
23. Jose Antonio Rueda (ESP) Red Bull KTM Ajo 2:03.084 (Q1)
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