Silverstone: Fabio Quartararo closed in on his first Moto GP World Championship securing his fifth victory of the season in the British Grand Prix at the Silverstone Circuit on Sunday. The young Frenchman still holds the top position in championship standings with 206 points followed by defending champion Joan Mir of Suzuki (141points).
Suzuki’s other rider Alex Rins who triumphed here back in 2019 finished second even after starting 10th in the grid on Sunday. Aleix Espargaro gave Aprilia their first MotoGP podium since the Italian manufacturer’s return to the premier class category with a third place.
A fall in practice on Friday left the Quartararo struggling to walk and got placed third in the grid but was briefly slipped to fourth after a sluggish start. However, the 22-year-old factory Yamaha quickly moved through the field hitting the front. He managed his tires superbly to have the cruise control on the race while his compatriots had a tough time to deal with and once the Frenchman though rode away from the pack there was stopping for him to clinch the pole position.
Surprisingly, Repsol Honda rider and Aleix’s brother Pol Espargaro who topped the qualifying charts was unable to make the most of his advantage finishing fourth. However, Silverstone witnessed a much tighter battle behind the eventual race leader Quartararo for a place on the the podium with Rins and Aleix feeling the heat towards the end with a late surge from Jack Miller of factory Ducati who actually got the better of the Aprilia rider going into the last lap.
The Spaniard regained his momentum at the final moment and was in tears on his bike after the finish ending Aprilia’s wait for a podium in the modern era of MotoGP. Italian rider Francesco Bagnaia who started the campaign on a high note is one of the contenders for this season has slipped to fourth behind Pramac Ducati’s Johan Zarco.
