MotoGP 2022 – Round 12 – Silverstone
Monster Energy British Grand Prix
Francesco Bagnaia – P1
“I didn’t expect to win today. Until yesterday I would have been happy with a top-five result. We decided to race with a medium-front tyre because we weren’t sure if the soft could hold up to the end, and at first, I wasn’t happy with that decision. In the race, though, it turned out to be the right choice because, in the end, it allowed me to be fast still even though the rear tyre was worn. I want to thank my team because I was struggling a lot, and thanks to their support, I was able to win this, which is one of the best of my career.”
Maverick Vinales – P2
“I tried my best all the way to the end! Unfortunately, I lost a bit of time in the battle during the opening laps, but then to recover I stressed the tyres a lot and didn’t have anything left in the finale. Bagnaia was good at closing the door when I overtook him. On a couple of corners I lost the rear trying to catch up and that’s where the race was decided. In any case, I’m happy. I’m riding well and in harmony with the Aprilia an we are reaching the level we’ve been aiming for. We’re almost there. We’ll keep trying even as early as the next race. We deserve it!”
Jack Miller – P3
“I’ve been so close to the podium here at Silverstone before, so to finally get on the box – super, super happy with that. I rolled the dice a bit with the soft front tyre where a lot of the other guys didn’t, but we were able to make it work – I was in the podium places all 20 laps, and to finish third and just six-tenths (of a second) off the win – it’s been an awesome weekend.
“Aleix (Espargaro) got past me on the last lap here last year a couple of corners from the end, so I finished fourth – it’s felt like a long time for me to be able to make up for that last lap with him, but we did it. So, a pretty good way to get back to work after the summer break.
“I would have loved to be up in second behind my team-mate Pecco (Bagnaia) but Maverick (Vinales) got me towards the end. That soft tyre – it was maybe not the correct decision now I think about it. It was definitely better for turning the bike and I felt good with it, but six laps towards the end you could tell it was starting to get a bit tired. More on the right-hand side I felt I was losing the turning in the corners, and then there’s a knock-on effect where you start using the rear more to make the thing turn … not ideal, but even though ‘Mack’ (Vinales) passed me we made it work and I got on the box.
“The whole race felt like a battle for me with different people – at the beginning it was Johann (Zarco) and Fabio (Quartararo), then Alex (Rins) decided he wanted to go so I put the hammer down trying to chase him, then Pecco … I was constantly trying to keep up with the boys at the front, it was just different people I had to keep up with. I tried to keep a bit of margin and let the race play out, and I had some pretty good tyre life until the last few laps in the faster flowing corners here. I’m up to sixth in the world championship again now, so the arrow’s pointing in the right way. I tend to go better in the back end of the season anyway, so that’s a good sign to get a strong result at a time of year I usually struggle a bit.
“I haven’t set any targets as such for these final races for Ducati, the main objective really is to try to do better than we did last year in the championship which was fourth. It’s not a big points gap, there’s a bunch of us close together after Fabio and Aleix up the front, so it’s achievable. If I can be consistent and fast, make the most of the package I have underneath me now, I can give it a crack. It’d be good to finish out my time here in a happy place, definitely.
“The pace was super hot in qualifying – the top eight of us boys were under the old lap record. I came over the line thinking ‘that was a pretty decent lap, she was a bit loose at some spots’ and then seeing Johann and then Maverick faster than me … I took my hat off to those two because I knew what went into my lap, and if I’d tried to go faster I’d have probably chucked it in the gravel. It’s such a long track with so many variables that it’s easy to make a mistake, so for the first six of us to only be separated by two-tenths (of a second) – it was impressive because getting a perfect lap around here is almost impossible.
“You would have seen all us Ducatis with some interesting aerodynamic bits this weekend – the ‘stegosaurus’, people were calling it – and that shows how Ducati are committed to all their riders, even me with me leaving at the end of the year. It’s what Ducati does, it’s in their DNA. There’s nothing worse than not getting updates or being locked out of data, so it’s nice to have that feeling. It’s really unusual for a factory to continue to give the rider updates if a rider is leaving, but they’ve been 100 per cent honest with me the whole way through and that’s something I really appreciate.
“Austria’s up next, and Ducati tends to go pretty well there. I had some pretty bad luck there last year but most years previous we’ve had some good results, so let’s see if we can keep it rolling in a couple of weeks.”
Enea Bastianini – P4
“At the start of the race it wasn’t easy to understand how to ride without a rear wing, but from halfway point I was able to put together a great race. Fourth is surely a good result, but to get so close to the podium without actually achieving the result left a strange test in my mouth. We put together a great comeback and it doesn’t really matter who I overtook, the important thing was to get as high as possible and we did it. We’re an evolved type of pokemon and I’m sure in a little while, more will follow.”
Miguel Oliveira – P6
“A good race and I had fun. There was the potential to be a bit further up the ranking but starting from the fifth row is always challenging. I’m happy to have had a solid weekend: all the sessions were decent. We made a few overtaking moves and that also helped for confidence. Hopefully we can improve and do a bit better in Austria.”
Alex Rins – P7
“I was feeling a bit destroyed when I arrived back in the box, I didn’t really expect this result. During the race I was riding so smoothly and controlling the throttle well, not sliding much, even when I was in the lead. But then, as the race went on, I was struggling a lot with a lack of rear traction. I want to check the situation with the tyre, because I didn’t expect to lose so many positions so quickly. At least I’ve picked up some points here, and I’ll focus on the next race.
Fabio Quartararo – P8
“I’m not happy about my race. I was just suffering so much. I wasn’t having fun. With that medium rear tyre we struggled so much. After the long-lap penalty I was behind four riders and the rear tyre overheated. There was no more performance, and the tyre drops much quicker. So, at that moment our race was gone. I was suffering. I was suffering from this lap to the end.”
Aleix Espargaro – P9
“I felt rather good in the race and didn’t have too much pain, but I also wasn’t able to move on the bike comfortably and be aggressive. That meant I wasn’t able to overtake. I didn’t make even one pass all race and that was a determining factor where the result was concerned. In any case, I don’t want to make excuses. The crash obviously didn’t help in terms of confidence, but we weren’t able to be as fast as we wanted to be today. I didn’t have much traction, especially on the right side and I was unable to maintain the pace of the leaders. It’s a pity because we had demonstrated good potential in practice. That said, we lost almost nothing in the standings. The championship is still wide open and the final part of the season will definitely be interesting!”
Marco Bezzecchi – P10
“To be the first time in Silverstone with the MotoGP, I’m happy to have hit the Top 10, a good result. It was not the start I expected: I was immediately touched by someone at the start and then even after 2/3 laps while I was trying to recover positions. I then took full advantage of the good pace we had to move up the rankings, I tried and being in the top ten is not bad at all. We have worked well all weekend, the guys of the Team have done a lot and we will continue like this towards Austria, a track that I like very much.”
Brad Binder – P11
“All weekend we had quite good pace on race rubber but in qualifying we keep trying to make a competitive lap-time to be a bit further up. I had a really good start today but unfortunately in Turn 5 I had a bit of contact and lost five positions. It put me off the back of the front group and although I caught up again I made a massive mistake with my tire choice. I paid for it because I had large drop in the last laps. Sorry to my team because we could have definitely done something good today. A big learning experience for us.”
Luca Marini – P12
“A race compromised at the start: some riders had a contact in front of me and I had to go wide losing so many positions. I couldn’t do nothing different, I then tried to recover and move up the rankings. I pushed a lot, the pace was good, but the gap from the front group was too big. I was very strong in braking, I felt at ease in overtaking and it’s a shame I lost ground right at the start. We bring all the positive from this weekend to Austria to make another step forward.”
Takaaki Nakagami – P13
“It was a very tough and long race today. I started from P20 which made things very difficult and after the start it was hard to find the line as you have so many riders in front of you. I gave it my best, the race pace was not fantastic, but it was consistent and I made some overtakes, so starting from P20 and finishing as top Honda in P13, it’s not the best result but I tried. Hopefully, we can make a step forward at the next race in Austria with the new lay-out, I’m really looking forward to it. I want to say a big thanks to my team because they worked really hard this weekend.”
Pol Espargaro – P14
“The summary is that we have had a complicated weekend. We really struggled in the first laps and that’s where we lost contact because at the end of the race our speed was not so bad. The pace was decent but I was 21st on the first lap and I made my way up into the points, you can’t expect much more when you start so far back. It was good to complete a race after missing two and the summer. In Austria I will be stronger and we will be aiming for a higher finish.”
Franco Morbidelli – P15
“There was some progress this weekend, especially in the race. I got a good start and then was able to maintain a decent pace. The tyre choice wasn’t the right one, but I prefer not to focus on that. I focused on my riding and the setting. I knew that the front wouldn’t last and that the rear was the right one for the race, but I wanted to keep everything like it was in the practice sessions so I could just ride and try things. I have to say that the pace when the tyres were fresh was decent – nothing spectacular but enough to stay up there, so that looks like a step ahead.”
Andrea Dovizioso – P16
“At the end, we took a bit of a gamble, because we used the hard rear, that we never tried before. But it was the right choice, I think. It was a bit difficult for me at the beginning, because I didn’t try the tyre before, so I couldn’t get up to speed easily and I was not able to use the potential of the bike in the first part of the race. But at the end, I was trying to save the tyre and it was working, I could be consistent until the last lap and that gave me the possibility to make up some positions. Unfortunately, I didn’t get any points, which was our target, but it was very close. But starting from P24 was difficult and with the Qualifying we did to eventually finish in P16 with 20 seconds to the top is a bit better than in the other races.”
Álex Márquez – P17
“It was frustrating today, as a team we made a mistake in the electronic set-up and I was losing a lot of time and power from the bike. I gave 100% and I was aiming to finish as top Honda. Race pace was not bad, but towards the end – related to the electronic issue – I started to lose a lot of grip and it was difficult to ride the bike at that point. I will try to keep going and I am passing to Honda some helpful information as I think we can have a better package.”
Remy Gardner – P18
“I made a decent start and went with the group. It was fun. I was enjoying myself but from about lap ten the rear tire really dropped and the last six laps was about survival. There was no edge grip and it was costing me a couple of seconds a lap. We didn’t try the hard tire over the weekend and that was a mistake. It might have given us a better result. The gap to the front was the closest it has been all year, even with those last six-seven laps so the pace was pretty good.”
Stefan Bradl – P19
“We have been unlucky this whole weekend, we had the penalty yesterday which made the race difficult. I was fighting with Dovi and I had to take the shortcut as we were fighting, then I tried to overtake but there was a yellow flag. I got another penalty for the shortcut which dropped us back more. We made a bit of a risk with the tyre choice which I think could have helped us without the bad luck. The positive point is that we have shown speed during the weekend as my pace is improving, it’s motivating for the next race.”
Darryn Binder – P20
“I’m glad to get the first race of the second half of the season done and dusted and see the chequered flag. After Warm Up this morning, I realised that it was going to be a tricky race towards the end. I went with the medium rear, I tried riding the hard during FP2 on Friday but unfortunately I couldn’t bring it up to temperature and i didn’t feel comfortable riding it, so I felt much more confident on the medium and I went for that. My riding style has always been trying to gain as many positions as I can from the very beginning, I had quite a good pace at the start but the last five laps, I suffered as I didn’t have the rear tyre anymore. I’ve got a starting point that I can build on from here on now and just keep improving for the rest of the season.”
Raul Fernandez – P21
“A tough race and I was trying to find my confidence this weekend. I made a few mistakes trying to get my feeling and improve for the next races. I was getting information today. The team and I did all we could but we know this is not our position. We’ll continue to try and improve.”
Fabio DiGiannantonio – P22
“It was really a race to forget: we gambled on the black anr and the black came out. We struggled throughout the weekend to find the rear-end grip and even during warmup things didn’t go as planned. We opted for the hard tyre and that also turned out not to be a positive choice. It’s better to reset and focus on Austria.”
Joan Mir – DNF
“The track temperature today was higher than on the previous days, and I think being in a group meant that I over-heated the front tyre a bit more than I’d have liked – I think that might be the cause of my crash. I tried to get some fresh air around the tyre, but the pack was intense. The feeling in general was quite good, and my pace wasn’t bad, but it can still be improved. I know that I was losing out in some sectors due to lack of grip, so we’ll continue working on the bike and look forward to Austria.”
Team Managers
Luigi Dall’Igna – General Manager of Ducati Corse
“It wasn’t an easy weekend, and to finish with these results is really incredible. Pecco did a marvellous race: he studied a lot during the weekend and certainly also during the race because he improved so much in tyre management. Jack was also great, and it is nice to have both our riders on the podium today, the day we celebrate our 200th podium in MotoGP. Thanks to all the guys and girls at Ducati Corse who, with their work, made it possible for us to reach this important milestone.”
Massimo Meregalli – Monster Yamaha Team Director
“We had hoped for more today. Fabio perfectly stuck to the plan. He had a very strong start from the second row and was second place when he took the long-lap penalty. The penalty clearly had a big impact on his race. It cost him three positions, and he was unlucky that it happened right at the moment when the pack were all very close together. From that moment we started to experience a drop of the rear tyre. Unfortunately, we never had that before in the practice sessions leading up to the race. In hindsight, we would now choose to use the hard rear. In the end, Fabio made the most of a bad situation. Franky had a strong start to the race, which helped him get into the points. It was a shame that the medium rear tyre drop at the end lost him two places, but it‘s still a small improvement, so we will leave this race behind us now and focus on getting ready for Austria in two weeks‘ time.”
Livio Suppo – Suzuki Team Manager
“This wasn’t the result we were looking for, but there are some positives; both riders got very good starts, especially Alex. When he was leading, we really thought he’d be able to win, because he looked very comfortable and smooth. Unfortunately, he then started to lose grip on the rear tyre. This is something we have to analyse with Michelin – we have seen the data but we need to understand why this happened. Joan was doing a good job and he was ready to attack more, but then he lost the front. However, they were both fast and it shows our package is competitive. On to the next races…”
Ken Kawauchi – Suzuki Technical Manager
“Yesterday we didn’t qualify very well, but we felt very confident about the race pace. We controlled the race well, especially at the mid-point, but unfortunately Joan crashed and shortly afterwards Alex was struggling to keep the pace. He ended up seventh due to the feel of the tyre, which was a pity because we hoped to at least get a podium. However, we confirmed that our performance can be high, and we won’t give up.”
Pablo Nieto – Mooney VR46 Racing Team Manager
“A good race with both our guys in the points and Marco once again in the Top10. A real pity the start, Marco had a race contact with two other riders and lost the contact with the group fighting for the very first positions. He had a good pace then, he tried to climb up the standings till the Top 10. The accident also penalised Luca who was immediately behind them on the grid: he then recovered in the final stages and finished in the slipstream of this group. Overall a good work of the whole Team, we continue in this direction in Austria.”
Francesco Guidotti – Red Bull KTM Team Manager
“A good result overall but once again it could be better if it wasn’t for qualifying. We started from the fifth row and after the first laps we had a two second gap from the leader and finished the race 2.7 from the winner. We only lost 0.7 over twenty laps and that makes us happy for the future but, for sure, we have to improve our Saturdays. It’s a shame to miss the chance of a podium for this. Brad could have had a great race because he was really on the move but the rear tire choice was perhaps a mistake. Overall, a good weekend. We had decent race pace from Friday morning. If we can sort qualification then it looks like everything is growing.”
Hervé Poncharal – Tech3 KTM Team Manager
“Tech3 KTM Factory Racing got its best qualifying result of the season yesterday with Remy Gardner starting from P16, and we were hoping that we could reach the points because it was a really promising weekend. I think Remy Gardner just had his best weekend of the season so far: his pace was good, his attitude was positive, there was everything in place to do a good race. The race start was great and we were happy to see him with fast riders behind him, but his pace dropped after ten laps and we lost positions, which is a shame. Raul Fernandez has been struggling all weekend long. For sure, we encountered some technical issues on Saturday which did not help him and he did not have an ideal grid position to set himself up properly for the race. Miguel Oliveira did a great race and finished ahead of the championship leader, so I want to say to our two rookies to hang on and to believe in our package, because it is a working one. Keep pushing, keep believing, and the results will come.”
British Grand Prix MotoGP Race Results
| Pos | Rider | Bike | Time/Gap |
| 1 | Francesco BAGNAIA | DUCATI | 40’10.260 |
| 2 | Maverick VIÑALES | APRILIA | +0.426 |
| 3 | Jack MILLER | DUCATI | +0.614 |
| 4 | Enea BASTIANINI | DUCATI | +1.651 |
| 5 | Jorge MARTIN | DUCATI | +1.750 |
| 6 | Miguel OLIVEIRA | KTM | +2.727 |
| 7 | Alex RINS | SUZUKI | +3.021 |
| 8 | Fabio QUARTARARO | YAMAHA | +3.819 |
| 9 | Aleix ESPARGARO | APRILIA | +3.958 |
| 10 | Marco BEZZECCHI | DUCATI | +6.646 |
| 11 | Brad BINDER | KTM | +7.730 |
| 12 | Luca MARINI | DUCATI | +13.439 |
| 13 | Takaaki NAKAGAMI | HONDA | +13.706 |
| 14 | Pol ESPARGARO | HONDA | +13.906 |
| 15 | Franco MORBIDELLI | YAMAHA | +16.359 |
| 16 | Andrea DOVIZIOSO | YAMAHA | +20.805 |
| 17 | Alex MARQUEZ | HONDA | +21.099 |
| 18 | Remy GARDNER | KTM | +24.579 |
| 19 | Stefan BRADL | HONDA | +28.773 |
| 20 | Darryn BINDER | YAMAHA | +33.653 |
| 21 | Raul FERNANDEZ | KTM | +35.601 |
| 22 | Fabio Di Giannantonio | DUCATI | +36.460 |
| Not Classified | |||
| DNF | Joan MIR | SUZUKI | 6 laps |
| DNF | Johann ZARCO | DUCATI | 12 laps |
MotoGP Championship Points Standings
| Pos | Rider | Bike | Points |
| 1 | Fabio Quartararo | Yamaha | 180 |
| 2 | Aleix Espargaro | Aprilia | 158 |
| 3 | Francesco Bagnaia | Ducati | 131 |
| 4 | Enea Bastianini | Ducati | 118 |
| 5 | Johann Zarco | Ducati | 114 |
| 6 | Jack Miller | Ducati | 107 |
| 7 | Brad Binder | KTM | 98 |
| 8 | Alex Rins | Suzuki | 84 |
| 9 | Maverick Viñales | Aprilia | 82 |
| 10 | Miguel Oliveira | KTM | 81 |
| 11 | Jorge Martin | Ducati | 81 |
| 12 | Joan Mir | Suzuki | 77 |
| 13 | Marco Bezzecchi | Ducati | 61 |
| 14 | Marc Marquez | Honda | 60 |
| 15 | Luca Marini | Ducati | 56 |
| 16 | Takaaki Nakagami | Honda | 45 |
| 17 | Pol Espargaro | Honda | 42 |
| 18 | Alex Marquez | Honda | 27 |
| 19 | Franco Morbidelli | Yamaha | 26 |
| 20 | Fabio Di Giannantonio | Ducati | 18 |
| 21 | Darryn Binder | Yamaha | 10 |
| 22 | Andrea Dovizioso | Yamaha | 10 |
| 23 | Remy Gardner | KTM | 9 |
| 24 | Raul Fernandez | KTM | 5 |
| 25 | Stefan Bradl | Honda | 0 |
| 26 | Michele Pirro | Ducati | 0 |
| 27 | Lorenzo Savadori | Aprilia | 0 |
