Fernandez delivers Silverstone masterclass to claim British GP victory
Raul Fernandez produced a commanding lights-to-flag performance at Silverstone to claim his first Grand Prix victory of the 2026 MotoGP season and the second premier-class win of his career.
Credit: MotoGP Press
After his mistake on Saturday, the result was the perfect response from Fernandez, who converted his front-row speed into a calm, controlled and memorable Sunday performance at the famous Silverstone circuit.
Starting from second on the grid, the Trackhouse Aprilia rider launched perfectly and swept into the lead at Turn 1 ahead of Marco Bezzecchi. Polesitter Jorge Martin became involved in an early battle with Ai Ogura, while Marc Marquez quickly moved into third. Fernandez took full advantage of the action behind him, setting a new race lap record on Lap 3 and building a two-second advantage.
From there, the Spaniard controlled the race with confidence. His pace remained strong and consistent as the riders behind fought over the remaining podium positions. Martin eventually found a way past Aprilia teammate Bezzecchi on Lap 9, but Fernandez had already established a comfortable lead at the front.
The British Grand Prix proved far less successful for several other riders. Enea Bastianini, Iker Lecuona and Cal Crutchlow all crashed during Laps 6 and 7, before Francesco Bagnaia fell at Turn 7 on the following lap. Ogura then lost a valuable opportunity to strengthen his championship position when he crashed at Turn 16.
Credit: MotoGP Press
Alex Marquez briefly climbed into third place, but a mistake at Turn 1 dropped him behind Bezzecchi and Pedro Acosta. The Gresini rider recovered to fourth, while Fabio Di Giannantonio charged through the field late in the race and passed Marc Marquez with three laps remaining.
Martin reduced Fernandez’s advantage during the closing stages, but the leader never looked seriously threatened. Fernandez crossed the line 2.5 seconds clear to become the 12th different winner in the past 12 British Grands Prix and the seventh MotoGP race winner of 2026.
Martin finished second to extend his championship lead, while Bezzecchi completed an all-Aprilia podium in third. Alex Marquez was the leading Ducati rider in fourth, followed by Acosta and Di Giannantonio. Marc Marquez finished seventh, ahead of Brad Binder, Luca Marini and Diogo Moreira.
With 10 rounds remaining, Martin now leads Bezzecchi by 31 points, while Marc Marquez sits 40 points behind. Fernandez’s flawless victory added another twist to an unpredictable season and demonstrated the speed of Aprilia machinery across the Silverstone circuit.