British MotoGP, Silverstone - Saturday Practice Results

Saturday practice results from the British MotoGP at a wet Silverstone, round 9 of 20 in the 2023 world championship.
Fabio Di Giannantonio, MotoGP, Dutch MotoGP, 23 June
Fabio Di Giannantonio, MotoGP, Dutch MotoGP, 23 June
 
2023 British MotoGP, Silverstone - Free Practice (3) Results
PosRiderNatTeamTime/DiffLapMax
1Fabio Di GiannantonioITAGresini Ducati (GP22)2'18.076s6/7302k
2Francesco BagnaiaITADucati Lenovo (GP23)+0.872s6/10297k
3Miguel OliveiraPORRNF Aprilia (RS-GP22)+0.884s6/6290k
4Jack MillerAUSRed Bull KTM (RC16)+0.975s7/8281k
5Marco BezzecchiITAMooney VR46 Ducati (GP22)+1.019s6/10299k
6Alex MarquezSPAGresini Ducati (GP22)+1.346s6/10304k
7Luca MariniITAMooney VR46 Ducati (GP22)+1.432s4/10285k
8Aleix EspargaroSPAAprilia Racing (RS-GP23)+1.678s6/8298k
9Johann ZarcoFRAPramac Ducati (GP23)+1.715s7/8294k
10Brad BinderRSARed Bull KTM (RC16)+1.817s7/12286k
11Jorge MartinSPAPramac Ducati (GP23)+2.401s6/10293k
12Maverick ViñalesSPAAprilia Racing (RS-GP23)+3.237s5/8279k
13Enea BastianiniITADucati Lenovo (GP23)+3.379s6/9293k
14Joan MirSPARepsol Honda (RC213V)+3.503s5/8290k
15Marc MarquezSPARepsol Honda (RC213V)+3.727s4/8286k
16Fabio QuartararoFRAMonster Yamaha (YZR-M1)+3.904s7/11293k
17Iker LecuonaSPALCR Honda (RC213V)+4.128s5/8290k
18Augusto FernandezSPATech3 GASGAS (RC16)*+6.090s3/7281k
19Franco MorbidelliITAMonster Yamaha (YZR-M1)+6.395s7/8294k
20Pol EspargaroSPATech3 GASGAS (RC16)+7.018s3/8273k
21Raul FernandezSPARNF Aprilia (RS-GP22)+7.981s5/6286k
22Takaaki NakagamiJPNLCR Honda (RC213V)+8.277s7/9284k

Fabio di Giannantonio receives a welcome boost by leading a soaking-wet Saturday practice for the 2023 British MotoGP at Silverstone which saw falls for the likes of Augusto Fernandez, Miguel Oliveira and Iker Lecuona.

Most of the fallers were caught out by the rear tyre sliding out, rather than the front. The rain is expected to continue for the remainder of the day.

Qualifying 1 for those outside the top ten on Friday afternoon, including di Giannantonio, Fabio Quartararo and Marc Marquez, will now get underway.

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MotoGP returns from its summer break with reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia leading the standings by 35-points over Jorge Martin (Pramac) and Marco Bezzecchi (VR46) one point further back to complete an all-Ducati top three.

A revised practice format from this weekend means only Friday’s second session will be used to determine the top ten riders receiving direct access to Qualifying 2. Opening practice now becomes a ‘free’ session, like FP3.

After being tested by teams in the opening eight rounds, punishments for breaching MotoGP’s new real-time Tyre Pressure Monitoring System will be implemented from Silverstone.

For now, post-race punishments will only be given if tyre pressure falls below the minimum specified by Michelin for at least 50% of a Sunday race distance and 30% of a Sprint race, and apply as follows:
· 1st offense: Warning
· 2nd offense: 3-second time penalty
· 3rd offense: 6-second time penalty
· 4th offense: 12-second time penalty

Pol Espargaro (GASGAS Tech3), plus Marc Marquez and Joan Mir (Repsol Honda) have used the summer break to recover from injuries and return to action this weekend - Espargaro for the first time since the Portimao season opener.

However, newly announced 2024 Yamaha rider Alex Rins remains absent due to his Mugello leg fractures and is replaced at LCR Honda by WorldSBK rider Iker Lecuona.

There have been eight different winners in the last eight races at Silverstone: Jorge Lorenzo (2013, Yamaha), Marc Marquez (2014, Honda), Valentino Rossi (2015, Yamaha), Maverick Vinales (2016, Yamaha), Andrea Dovizioso (2017, Ducati), Alex Rins (2019, Suzuki), Fabio Quartararo (2021, Yamaha) and Francesco Bagnaia (2022, Ducati).

Weather forecasts warn of potential showers throughout the weekend, especially on Saturday.

 

2023 British MotoGP, Silverstone - Practice (1) Results
PosRiderNatTeamTime/DiffLapMax
1Marco BezzecchiITAMooney VR46 Ducati (GP22)2'00.295s16/16332k
2Luca MariniITAMooney VR46 Ducati (GP22)+0.036s16/17335k
3Jorge MartinSPAPramac Ducati (GP23)+0.075s16/16331k
4Johann ZarcoFRAPramac Ducati (GP23)+0.172s15/17332k
5Jack MillerAUSRed Bull KTM (RC16)+0.370s16/16330k
6Aleix EspargaroSPAAprilia Racing (RS-GP23)+0.382s14/15328k
7Franco MorbidelliITAMonster Yamaha (YZR-M1)+0.561s12/14329k
8Raul FernandezSPARNF Aprilia (RS-GP22)+0.641s16/16326k
9Maverick ViñalesSPAAprilia Racing (RS-GP23)+0.803s16/18331k
10Fabio QuartararoFRAMonster Yamaha (YZR-M1)+0.946s17/17326k
11Alex MarquezSPAGresini Ducati (GP22)+0.964s15/16328k
12Enea BastianiniITADucati Lenovo (GP23)+1.122s17/17332k
13Brad BinderRSARed Bull KTM (RC16)+1.156s8/19329k
14Francesco BagnaiaITADucati Lenovo (GP23)+1.225s14/15330k
15Marc MarquezSPARepsol Honda (RC213V)+1.291s16/16328k
16Fabio Di GiannantonioITAGresini Ducati (GP22)+1.619s15/17329k
17Miguel OliveiraPORRNF Aprilia (RS-GP22)+1.879s12/16328k
18Takaaki NakagamiJPNLCR Honda (RC213V)+2.258s12/14323k
19Augusto FernandezSPATech3 GASGAS (RC16)*+2.265s11/17325k
20Joan MirSPARepsol Honda (RC213V)+2.453s17/17326k
21Iker LecuonaSPALCR Honda (RC213V)+2.581s17/17324k
22Pol EspargaroSPATech3 GASGAS (RC16)+3.502s11/16328k

Marco Bezzecchi leads an all-Ducati top four during opening practice for the 2023 British MotoGP at a dry but overcast and chilly Silverstone.

VR46's title contender Bezzecchi set the pace for much of the 45 minutes, with Aprilia's Aleix Espargaro and Mooney team-mate Luca Marini completing the top three during the middle stages.

Bezzecchi was then pushed down the order by the appearance of some new medium rear tyres in the closing stages, but Bezzecchi returned the #72 to the head of the timesheets by just 0.036s over Marini on his final lap.

Pramac Ducati team-mates Jorge Martin and Johann Zarco followed with Jack Miller getting his KTM spectacularly sideways under braking on his way to best of the rest in fifth.

Reigning world champion Francesco Bagnaia moved to twelfth on his penultimate lap, then was frustrated to run wide.

In a change to the previous practice format, the Friday morning session has become a 'free practice' with only this afternoon's second practice decided the top ten riders with direct access to Qualifying 2.

Competing in his first session since confirmation he will be replaced at Monster Yamaha by Alex Rins next season, Franco Morbidelli was caught out by a cold rear tyre and flicked from his M1 on an out lap with 15mins to go.

The Italian looked to have some aero fitted at the time and team-mate Fabio Quartararo then duly emerged with bigger wings fitted, which would be their one available in-season aero update. Morbidelli returned to claim seventh and top Yamaha, with Quartararo tenth.

LCR Honda's Takaaki Nakagami also has some new aero this weekend, a wide 'ground effect' style design of the type first used by Aprilia. Meanwhile, factory Aprilia riders Espargaro and Maverick Vinales had a revised update to their lower fairings.

The Repsol Honda team of Marc Marquez and Joan Mir appeared to use HRC chassis this morning, while LCR riders Nakagami and stand-in Iker Lecuona ran the Kalex.

Marquez was the top RC213V rider, in 15th.

Taking part in his first MotoGP session since Portimao, the recovering Pol Espargaro was 22nd and last for GASGAS Tech3, 3.5s from Bezzecchi.

With the pits, paddock and starting grid being moved to the new Wing this year, a special practice start period was held after the session, which saw a fall for Enea Bastianini.

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