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Follow the Grand Prix Great Britain live. This MotoGP race starts at 14:00 on 6 August 2023. Find race results, calendar, standings, scores and all of this season’s MotoGP races.
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Highlights
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THANK YOU AND GOODBYE
Thank you for your company today during our live text coverage of the MotoGP British Grand Prix.
There will be some testing here in Silverstone tomorrow before the riders return to the track in anger for the Austrian Grand Prix on the weekend of 20 August.
We hope to see you then on the website or live on TNT Sport.
Video - Highlights: Espargaro wins dramatic race as Bezzecchi and both Marquez brothers fail to finish
LAST LAP MOVE BAGS ESPARGARO WIN
Cool, calm, and collected Bagnaia looked set for another win, but Espargaro made his move halfway through the final lap. Sweeping past through Maggotts and Becketts, the Spaniard took the lead and fought off Bagnaia's counter at Stowe.
Binder held Oliveira behind him to secure the final podium spot.
Video - 'What a move from the veteran!' - Espargaro steals Silverstone victory from Bagnaia
VINALES LOSES TOUCH
It's a four-horse race now as Vinales loses touch to the top group.
Bagnaia currently leads from Espargaro with Binder claiming Oliveira for third.
OLIVEIRA IN THE MIX
Miguel Oliveira is firmly on the charge here. The Portuguese rider made quick work of Vinales and Binder, who gradually fell behind the leading duo, and is now hunting down Bagnaia and Espargaro.
All of these five riders are still within winning contention.
BIKE SWAPS FOR BACKMARKERS
It's nothing to lose mode for a couple of riders who have opted to swap bikes. Fabio DiGiannantonio, Franco Morbidelli, Takaaki Nakagami, and Iker Lecuona have pitted for their wet bikes. They currently close out the field.
FLAG-TO-FLAG? APRILIAS GET FEISTY
Amidst the spots of rain, with only six laps to go, there is hardly time to make a bike swap pay off. It will require more significant rain to make pitting worthwhile.
Meanwhile, things got feisty between the Aprilias as Vinales punched his way past his teammate. The duel allowed Bagnaia some breathing space.
RAIN FLAGS OUT, FOUR-HORSE RACE AT THE TOP
Vinales and Binder have just about closed the gap to Bagnaia and Espargaro.
However, spots of rain are now starting to fall at parts of the track. The rain flags are out - and so are the white flags, indicating that riders are now allowed to swap bikes.
DON'T COUNT OUT VINALES
Bagnaia has responded to Espargaro's call and continues to hold the lead. However, he can't shake off the Aprilia.
The bigger danger for both of them could come from behind though as Vinales is closing in on them, dragging Binder with him.
OLIVEIRA CLAIMS ZARCO
There's the move from Oliveira on Zarco and he instantly puts daylight between himself and the Ducati.
The pressure is not over for Johann Zarco, who has opted for the soft rear tyre at the last minute, with constant attack from Luca Marini coming his way.
VINALES UP TO THIRD
It's been a question of when rather than if and Vinales finally makes a move stick on Binder. Currently, two factory Aprilias are set for podium positions.
And it could yet get better for the Italian manufacturer as Oliveira is closing in on Zarco.
ESPARGARO CAUGHT UP
Espargaro is the fastest rider on track just now by a country mile and has firmly reeled in Bagnaia.
Behind, Binder is getting under pressure from Maverick Vinales' Aprilia with Johann Zarco not too far behind. In P6, Miguel Oliveira too is on brilliant pace - the Aprilias are flying!
BEZZECCHI DOWN
A massive blow for Bezzecchi, a massive gift for Bagnaia as the former loses the front and crashes out at Turn 15.
However, Bagnaia can't relax with Espargaro now finding amazing pace and edging ever closer to the race leader.
Video - 'It's a silly move!' - Bezzecchi crashes out at Silverstone speeding down on Bagnaia
FRONT GAP UP TO A SECOND, MARQUEZ OUT
Bagnaia and Bezzecchi can't be separated at the top of the field with their advantage to the chasing pack now up to a second.
Meanwhile, the race is over for Marquez with damage to his bike, possibly caused by a coming together with Bagnaia at the start. The Spaniard is forced to retire to the pits, leaving Espargaro and Brad Binder as the first chasers.
DUCATIS UP AND AWAY, THE HUNT IS ON
As Bagnaia and Bezzecchi establish themselves in the front, things are getting aggressive in the chasing pack. Alex Marquez and Aleix Espargaro punched their way past Miller to chase the Ducatis down.
The Aussie came away with the short end of the stick, being forced way wide and dropping down into 14th.
BAGNAIA AND BEZZECCHI BATTLE IT OUT
It's on between the Ducatis who swap positions several times.
Bagnaia came out the better and swiftly claimed the lead of Miller. He dropped the hammer instantly, forcing Bezzecchi to make a quick move on Miller and not let his compatriot escape.
The duo are running closely together and edging away from the field.
LIGHTS OUT AND AWAY WE GO
Jack Miller got off to a superb start and stole the holeshot from pole sitter Marco Bezzecchi. Francesco Bagnaia made his way past Alex Marquez into third before unsuccessfully attacking his compatriot Bezzecchi.
Persistence paid off though for the championship leader who did eventually claim the runner-up spot.
Jorge Martin dropped all the way down to 21st and has his work cut out for himself.
WARM UP LAP
The riders head out on track for the warm up lap.
There look to be a couple of last minute tyre changes throughout the field.
TYRE CHOICES
Right now, the track is completely dry and the only tyre option is slicks.
Many teams are expecting rain in ten to fifteen minutes though which opens the possibility to start on a softer compound and hope for a flag-to-flag race.
The majority of the field have opted for the medium rear and the soft front tyre. The only exceptions are Joan Mir and Iker Lecuona on their respective Hondas and, most interestingly, Marco Bezzecchi who have all went for the medium front tyre.
medium rear, soft front
WEATHER REPORT WITH TEN MINUTES TO LIGHTS OUT
It's dry at the moment, but the threat of rain looms over the grid - from a dry, a wet, or a mixed conditions race, anything could happen here.
And, as is so often the case, it's not too warm in Silverstone. Sixteen degrees Celsius air temperature will not cause issue, but the track is rather on the cold side at 24 degrees Celsius. Making tyres work will be a challenge.
RIDERS GATHER ON THE GRID
Sighting laps are completed and the riders are taking their positions on the grid.
Here is a final reminder of how things are shaping up today:
TO RAIN OR NOT TO RAIN?
There's some concerned looks in pit lance with the uncertainty over the weather and teams questioning their set-up and tyre choices. There is drizzle in the air now and rain flags are out, but you wouldn't refer to it as wet conditions yet - we may well be in for mixed conditions.
BEZZECCHI TOPS WARM-UP
Marco Bezzecchi's top weekend continued this morning when he led a wet warm-up session by more than half a second over sprint winner Alex Marquez.
A couple of riders, including Fabio Quartararo and Maverick Vinales, tried their luck on slick tyres, but wets were very much the way to go this morning.
BAGNAIA IN CHAMPIONSHIP CONTROL
Regardless of what happens in today's race, Francesco Bagnaia will leave Silverstone as championship leader - but his advantage might get dangerously tight. Marco Bezzecchi made up substantial ground on his compatriot in yesterday's sprint and will be keen to edge even closer to striking distance.
Here's a reminder of how the table is looking going into the British Grand Prix:
ALEX MARQUEZ TAKES FIRST WIN IN SPRINT RACE, BEZZECCHI STRENGHTENS CHAMPIONSHIP CHARGE
Saturday's sprint delivered a first taste of racing action with Gresini's Alex Marquez taking a win for the first time in his MotoGP career. The Spaniard saw off current championship runner-up Marco Bezzecchi by just under four tenths. However, Bezzecchi won't be too upset with second considering that table topper Francesco Bagnaia finished 14th in the wet conditions and failed to score a single point. Bagnaia admitted post race that he couldn't explain what went wrong for him.
Read all about it here:
ON-FORM BEZZECCHI STARTS FROM POLE
Marco Bezzecchi secured back-to-back pole positions for the first time in his grand prix career when he stormed to the fastest lap in qualifying - despite a crash in Q2.
Jack Miller once more proved that he is a force to be reckoned with in wet weather conditions and set the second fastest time while Alex Marquez completes the front row in third. Championship leader Francesco Bagnaia had to settle for fourth after a Q2 crash, making it his second-worst qualifying of the season. In contrast, Augusto Fernandez excelled and secured a PB starting spot in fifth.
Read all about it here:
RAIN SO FAR IN SILVERSTONE BUT DRY RACE IN SIGHT
The British weather lived up to its reputation so far this weekend and the on-track sessions have been heavily impacted by rain, leading to some interesting results, especially in yesterday's sprint.
The skies are looking a lot friendlier today and the track has dried since a damp morning. Still, there a some scattered drops of rain and weather forecasts predict a slight chance of showers at 1pm - when the race starts - so there could yet be a spanner in the works.
WELCOME TO THE BRITISH GRAND PRIX!
Hello and thanks for joining our live text coverage of the 2023 MotoGP British Grand Prix.
The summer break is finally over and the riders are ready to go racing again. Marco Bezzecchi has had a dream start to second half of the season so far. The current championship runner-up qualified on pole and made up good ground in the standings in the sprint, finishing second while table topper Francesco Bagnaia missed out on points - can Bezzecchi go one better today?
Alex Marquez stepped out of his brother's shadow for good yesterday with the win in the sprint. He would dearly love to double up today while certified wet-weather-specialist Jack Miller will be keen to make the best of a P2 start and bounce back from an underwhelming sprint.
And with on-track proceedings so far heavily impacted by rain, what do the heaven's have in store for today?
BRITISH GRAND PRIX LIVE - MARCO BEZZECCHI ON TITLE HUNT AS RIDERS RETURN FROM SUMMER BREAK