The wait is over! After a month in which the monkey of motorcycles has done nothing but grow, the MotoGP World Championship returns this weekend with the British Grand Prix . Silverstone is already decked out to see the second part of a season that still promises to give many surprises.
In case anyone has forgotten, let’s remember the situation of the world championship: Fabio Quartararo is the leader, but he messed up at Assen, giving title hopes to an incredible Aleix Espargaro who is less than a race behind on his Aprilia. Behind, Pecco Bagnaia is preparing for the impossible comeback with Ducati.
Where to watch the British Grand Prix (Silverstone) online
Every MotoGP Grand Prix weekend, DAZN offers all the sessions, press conferences, qualifying and races live (and you can also watch it on the platform on a delayed basis) for a price of 12.99€ per month. They also offer interviews, reports and other content so that you don’t miss the weekend of action. Other options are Movistar + or MotoGP.com’s VideoPass, where they also offer everything live and delayed in case you can’t watch it in prime time.
Quartararo carries over a ‘Long Lap Penalty’ from Assen
It is not at all easy to distribute favoritism at Silverstone. We should look at Fabio Quartararo, who swept the race in 2021 and whose Yamaha should adapt perfectly to the circuit. But let’s remember that he drags an unusual ‘Long Lap Penalty’ from Assen that will weigh him down a lot in the race.
In addition, Silverstone could also be an ideal circuit for the Aprilia. Let’s keep in mind that on this same track Aleix Espargaró achieved in 2021 his only podium of the whole year and that with a bike that was far away in performance from the current one. Maybe we will have a duel between the two leaders of the world championship.
We’ll see how the Maverick Viñales factor affects him because he is getting more and more attached to the Aprilia, the bike goes well at Silverstone and he has always been very fast at this track. For the memory of that victory with Suzuki, the first since the Hamamatsu brand returned to the world championship. Viñales could start to be key.
For Ducati, this weekend could be a bit more complicated, although their aerodynamics might help them in the twisties. But Pecco Bagnaia has never liked Silverstone too much, so it’s time for a race to show that he has gained mental strength after this turbulent summer.
So far the three brands that win in MotoGP. For the other three, Silverstone will be nothing more than an extension of the ordeal. At least for Honda and KTM, who are still lost in the development of their bikes and are unlikely to achieve any remarkable result. In addition, Marc Marquez is still on sick leave.
At Suzuki, the problem is more about motivation than anything else. Their bike has always adapted well to Silverstone, so if they find a way to give 100%, maybe they can aim for one last podium in MotoGP, or even something more. Álex Rins already knows what it’s like to win at Silverstone, and in a big way against Márquez.
Silverstone is Yamaha’s circuit. and Suzuki’s
This year’s race will be the 21st British Grand Prix to be held at the Silverstone circuit, a race that for many years was held at Donington Park. In the early days of the World Championship, the British race was the Isle of Man TT, until that was revoked in 1977. Since 2016/2017 we have not had two races in a row at Silverstone.
Thus, there is still a tie at the top of the Silverstone circuit victory standings. Two Yamaha icons, Kenny Roberts and Jorge Lorenzo, are equal with three wins each in the premier class. However, if we count the small ones, they are swept by Angel Nieto, who took as many as six victories at Silverstone, the same as Kork Ballington.
By brands, Yamaha is the one that has triumphed the most at Silverstone with eight victories, but Suzuki, which has won six times, is not so far behind. Hamamatsu’s idyll with Silverstone is unique. They have more victories until Honda, which has only done it five times, while the remaining one is Andrea Dovizioso’s with Ducati in 2017.
Of the current MotoGP grid, there are up to three riders who know what it is to win in the premier class at Silverstone. They are Fabio Quartararo, Álex Rins, and Maverick Viñales, and there would be four if Marc Márquez is healthy. We’ll see if a new one is able to join the list in 2022. Is it Aleix Espargaró’s turn?
MotoGP keeps its time, but Sunday’s order changes
To follow the British Grand Prix live there are two alternatives. DAZN remains the sole holder of the MotoGP rights in Spain, but Movistar Plus+ will broadcast the entire Grand Prix on its DAZN 1 channel following the agreement reached by both platforms last year. In addition, the MotoGP VideoPass will always be available.
As for the schedules, we have changed with respect to the usual ones. Because of the time zone difference with the UK, almost all sessions start an hour later than usual. And on Sunday the last race will be Moto2, not MotoGP. The good thing is that it seems that the rain will respect us in a circuit as unstable as Silverstone.
Schedule MotoGP Great Britain 2022
Friday 5th
– (FP1) Moto3 Free Practice: 10:00 am
– (FP1) MotoGP Free Practice: 10:55am
– (FP1) Moto2 Free Practice: 11:55am
– (FP2) Free Practice Moto3: 14:15
– (FP2) Free Practice MotoGP: 15:10
– (FP2) Free Practice Moto2: 16:10
Saturday 6th
– (FP3) Free Practice Moto3: 10:00
– (FP3) MotoGP Free Practice: 10:55am
– (FP3) Moto2 Free Practice: 11:55am
– (Q1) Moto3 Qualifying Practice: 13:35
– (Q2) Moto3 Qualifying Practice: 14:00
– (FP4) Free Practice MotoGP: 14:30
– (Q1) MotoGP Qualifying Practice: 15:10
– (Q2) MotoGP Qualifying Practice: 15:35
– (Q1) Moto2 Qualifying Practice: 16:10
– (Q2) Moto2 Qualifying Practice: 16:35
Sunday 7th
– (WUP) Warm Up Moto3: 10:20
– (WUP) Warm Up MotoGP: 10:40
– (WUP) Warm Up Moto2: 11:10
– (RAC) Moto3 Race: 12:20
– (RAC) MotoGP Race: 14:00 (RAC) MotoGP Race: 14:00
– (RAC) Moto2 Race: 15:30 (RAC)