MotoGP: Fernandez dominates as Michelin shines at Silverstone
The Qatar Airways Grand Prix of Great Britain (Round 12 of the 2026 MotoGP™ World Championship) produced an assertive display by Raul Fernandez, aided by the flawless management of his MICHELIN Power tires. The SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team rider secured his second premier-class success by beating Aprilia Racing's Jorge Martin and Marco Bezzecchi. The grip and consistency of Michelin's slicks contributed to three new records for Silverstone, the calendar's longest circuit. Read on for more about what happened at the #BritishGP.
Fernandez leapt into the lead from second on the grid at lights-out before posting a new fastest race-lap record for the British venue (1m58.457s) second time around. By the eighth of the afternoon's 20 laps, his pace had taken him 4.3 seconds clear of his chasers.
Racing on a front/rear mix of hard and medium MICHELIN Powers like the rest of the field, he wisely nursed his cushion to precede Martin over the line by more than two seconds.
En route to his second MotoGP™ victory, the Spaniard established a new shortest race-duration benchmark, too, completing the distance in a time of 39m45.930s, an improvement of almost six seconds over the previous best set in 2024. In the process, he became the 12th different British GP winner in as many years.
The previous day, Martin had qualified on pole with a new track record (1m56.160s) before winning the sprint. A small mistake as the bikes roared off the line for the start of Sunday's grand prix relegated him to third, but he recovered to go second on Lap 9 after passing team-mate Bezzecchi who never seemed in contention for the win. The weekend's results have extended Martin's lead in the provisional Riders' standings.
Bezzecchi celebrated his comeback after fracturing a shoulder and sustaining a deep knee-gash in Germany by coming third in both races. Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) and Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) rounded out the main attraction's top-five.
Michelin's tires played an active part in the establishment of three new records for Silverstone over the weekend. No fewer than eight riders bettered the previous track record (1m57.233s) during Friday afternoon's practice, and Martin ultimately undercut it by more than a second in Qualifying 2. Four riders went faster than the existing race-lap record on Sunday.
With the season's second half now under way, Martin (240 points) enjoys cushions of 31 and 37 points in the championship standings over Bezzecchi and Ai Ogura (SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team).
Next round: Michelin Grand Prix of Aragon, Spain (August 28-30).