09.08.2026
MotoGP 2026 - Round 12 of 22, Silverstone, Great Britain – Race
Highlights and key moments from race day at Silverstone:
- Pedro Acosta shines under Silverstone sunshine to capture his sixth top-five classification from 12 rounds of 2026 MotoGP
- 8th and a strong outing for Brad Binder who rallies hard from the 18th on the grid
- 3 points for Pol Espargaro in 13th for Red Bull KTM Tech3 while Enea Bastianini suffers a DNF
- Moto3 trophies for Alvaro Carpe and Valentin Perrone after a six-rider scrap for glory
Silverstone’s 18 corners provided the usual tough, technical and physical test for MotoGP, and also for optimum grip of Michelin tires around the hard-wearing asphalt. 105,885 fans entered the famous venue that boasts almost half a century of motorcycling Grand Prix history.
Pedro Acosta, Brad Binder, Enea Bastianini and Pol Espargaro (on replacement duty for Maverick Viñales who is working on fitness related to his left shoulder injury) started the 20-lap Grand Prix from P9, P18, P19 and P21 on the grid.
Acosta lunged into the top five during the opening laps as the pack established a rhythm to conserve tires and traction, especially on the right side of the rubber to cope with the Silverstone layout. Pedro sped as high as 4th and then managed the rest of his tire life. The Spaniard logged a deserved 5th. Binder rode proactively to breach the top ten and arrived to P8. Brad managed his traction to lodge his second-best result of the year.
Espargaro crossed the line in 14th for what was his maiden race appearance of 2026 and a diversion from his usual testing role with the 850cc MotoGP KTM RC16 prototype. The Spaniard was then promoted to 13th after a penalty for another rider and pocketed three points. Bastianini crashed heading into the Turn 16-17 on lap six.
MotoGP gathers again at MotorLand Aragon for the Grand Prix of Aragon in eastern Spain from August 28-30.
Pedro Acosta, 5th and 7th in the championship: “Quite happy to make the step during the weekend. I was quite honest with the team after the summer break and put some questions on the table because we are not so far from 3rd in the championship. It was a way to start this second half of the season, and we improved this weekend on a track where I struggled a lot last year. We finished with a top five with a different strategy. We pushed the tire in the beginning and then tried to survive, and it looked like it worked. A good race.”
Brad Binder, 8th and 13th in the championship: “My weekend got a lot better from Saturday afternoon. I felt better in the Sprint with used tires and in the race I knew I had to be clever and was kind to the tire…maybe a bit too much because I still felt grip at the end! In general, I’m a bit happier than normal because I could push the bike more. It’s working the way I prefer. The last two GPs have been better - still not near the results I want but we’re making progress - so let’s keep going.”
Pol Espargaro, 13th: “A few points…but it was not so easy to stay on the bike. It’s been too long since I raced! I didn’t want to make a mistake this weekend and I achieved this but I was way-too slow. I think my confidence would be better for another race, and I didn’t need to worry about tire consumption! These bikes are at the highest level and I just took some experience for the future if I need to race again.”
Enea Bastianini, DNF and 12th in the championship: “I tried to overtake in the change of direction but lost the front and crashed. Too early in the race. Just five laps. I was trying to pass the others, and it was too aggressive. It would have been better to wait, to be honest. The track was a bit slippery; different to the warm-up and it was difficult to put the temperature in the tire. It got better but there was movement with the front. Aragon is a nice track but it is hard to say what we can do.”
Aki Ajo, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: “For sure we need to be happy with our work and performance today. We made steps during the weekend and the final day was the best; this means we must be pleased with the progress. Having our factory team riders in 5th and 8th is positive for us at a track, like I said, was challenging for us in the past. The target is to now start the weekends better. I would not say that Friday here was too bad but the competition is so close that we have to maximize our starting positions. We have our goals for the next races…and we have the chance to improve our performances in this second half of the season.”
Grand Prix of Great Britain photographs can be found HERE
Results MotoGP Grand Prix of Great Britain
1. Raul Fernandez (ESP) Aprilia 39:45.930
2. Jorge Martin (ESP) Aprilia +2.538
3. Marco Bezzecchi (ITA) Aprilia +3.393
5. Pedro Acosta (ESP) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +6.256
8. Brad Binder (RSA) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +22.288
13. Pol Espargaro (ESP) Red Bull KTM Tech3 +41.310
DNF. Enea Bastianini (ITA) Red Bull KTM Tech3
World Championship standings MotoGP
1. Jorge Martin (ESP) Aprilia, 240 points
2. Marco Bezzecchi (ESP) Aprilia, 209
3. Ai Ogura (JPN) Aprilia, 203
7. Pedro Acosta (ESP) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 163
12. Enea Bastianini (ITA) Red Bull KTM Tech3, 76
13. Brad Binder (RSA) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 72
22. Maverick Viñales (ESP) Red Bull KTM Tech3, 10
25. Pol Espargaro (ESP) Red Bull KTM Tech3, 3
KTM GP Academy
Moto3 closed the race timetable at Silverstone. Red Bull KTM Tech3 and Red Bull KTM Ajo pushed their riders to P3 (Valentin Perrone), P5 and P7 (Alvaro Carpe and Brian Uriarte) and P19 (Rico Salmela) on the grid for the 15 laps. The race forced a strong Moto3 pack mentality with tows and slipstreams at a premium to keep pace and maintain tire life.
Perrone, Carpe and Uriarte filled 50% of an intense competition for the win. The position-swapping was relentless as Salmela also made sizeable ground to slot into the second group and would take 7th. On the last lap Uriarte crashed out and Carpe retaliated hard from an incident that momentarily pushed him off the track. David Almansa snared victory but Carpe lunged into 2nd, only 0.7 from his countryman, for his fifth top three of the season. Perrone stamped P3, two tenths of a second behind, for his second silverware of 2026.
Carpe and Uriarte hold 2nd and 4th in the world championship standings as KTM continue to top the Constructors points table.
Moto2 activated the intermediate class section of the Red Bull KTM Ajo team. Collin Veijer and Jose Antonio Rueda had finished qualification on Saturday with P15 and P23 after Q1/Q2. The 17-lap contest was predictably close and entertaining. Veijer was luckless to crash out on the opening circulation after contact with David Alonso and Rueda then held the focus of the crew for the remainer. The rookie managed to get close to the top 15 but then classified in P19.
Results Moto3 Grand Prix of Great Britain
1. David Almansa (ESP) KTM 32:45.262
2. Alvaro Carpe (ESP) Red Bull KTM Ajo +0.701
3. Valentin Perrone (ARG) Red Bull KTM Tech3 +0.991
7. Rico Salmela (FIN) Red Bull KTM Tech3 +5.139
16. Marco Morelli (ARG) CFMOTO Aspar Team +11.759
DNF. Brian Uriarte (ESP) Red Bull KTM Ajo
DNS. Maximo Quiles (ESP) CFMOTO Aspar Team
World Championship standings Moto3
1. Maximo Quiles (ESP) CFMOTO Aspar Team, 231 points
2. Alvaro Carpe (ESP) Red Bull KTM Ajo, 146
3. David Almansa (ESP) KTM, 134
4. Brian Uriarte (ESP) Red Bull KTM Ajo, 127
5. Marco Morelli (ARG) CFMOTO Aspar Team, 115
7. Valentin Perrone (ARG) Red Bull KTM Tech3, 95
10. Rico Salmela (FIN) Red Bull KTM Tech3, 60
Results Moto2 Grand Prix of Great Britain
1. Filip Salac (CZE) 35:01.869
2. Ivan Ortola (ESP) +0.303
3. Alex Escrig (ESP) +0.652
4. Daniel Holgado (ESP) CFMOTO Aspar Team +1.743
19.Jose Antonio Rueda (ESP) Red Bull KTM Ajo +18.840
21. David Alonso (COL) CFMOTO Aspar Team +20.029
DNF. Collin Veijer (NED) Red Bull KTM Ajo
World Championship standings Moto2
1. Manuel Gonzalez (ESP) 197.5 points
2. Izan Guevara (ESP) 155
3. Senna Agius (AUS) 136
5. Daniel Holgado (ESP) CFMOTO Aspar Team, 128
6. David Alonso (COL) CFMOTO Aspar Team, 116
10. Collin Veijer (NED) Red Bull KTM Ajo, 55.5
16. Jose Antonio Rueda (ESP) Red Bull KTM Ajo, 27
PRESS CONTACT
Evangelia Sissis
PR Manager MotoGP
M: +43 676 665 2742
E: evangelia.sissis@ktm.com