Let’s analyze the practice positions of some riders at the 2023 British MotoGP:
- Aleix Espargaro: Leads Friday afternoon practice.
- Fabio Quartararo: Misses out on a top ten place in Friday afternoon practice and will need to take part in Saturday’s Qualifying 1.
- Marc Marquez: Also misses out on a top ten place in Friday afternoon practice and will need to take part in Saturday’s Qualifying 1.
- Marco Bezzecchi: Was the morning leader, suffered a big highside at turn 7 in the closing stages of practice.
- Francesco Bagnaia: Was involved in a battle with Marco Bezzecchi for the top spot in practice.
Martin, Binder, Maverick Vinales, and Johann Zarco: Move ahead of Marco Bezzecchi after his high side in practice. - Luca Marini: Also falls during the session.
Details
Additionally, there have been changes to the practice format, with only Friday’s second session being used to determine the top ten riders receiving direct access to Qualifying 2. Opening practice is now considered a ‘free’ session, like FP3.
The MotoGP rider line-up for 2024 has seen some announcements, including Alex Rins signing with Yamaha and Franco Morbidelli leaving the Yamaha MotoGP team.
Post-race
The post-race punishments for breaching MotoGP’s new real-time Tyre Pressure Monitoring System have also been specified.
Pol Espargaro, Marc Marquez, and Joan Mir have returned to action after recovering from injuries during the summer break.
Weather forecasts warn of potential showers throughout the weekend, especially on Saturday. This might have an impact on the race proceedings.
Conclusion
Aleix Espargaro is leading the 2023 British MotoGP after Friday afternoon practice. He was 0.671s clear of the field, with Fabio Quartararo and Marc Marquez among those who missed out on a top-ten place and will need to take part in Saturday’s Qualifying 1.
The weather forecast for the weekend is mixed, with potential showers throughout, especially on Saturday.
Free Practice 2023 Silverstone Results
| POS | RIDER | NAT | TEAM | TIME/DIFF | LAP | MAX | |
| 1 | ^5 | Aleix Espargaro | SPA | Aprilia Racing (RS-GP23) | 1’58.183s | 19/19 | 330k |
| 2 | ^1 | Jorge Martin | SPA | Pramac Ducati (GP23) | +0.671s | 20/21 | 334k |
| 3 | ^10 | Brad Binder | RSA | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | +0.715s | 19/20 | 334k |
| 4 | ^5 | Maverick Viñales | SPA | Aprilia Racing (RS-GP23) | +0.721s | 13/14 | 334k |
| 5 | ˅1 | Johann Zarco | FRA | Pramac Ducati (GP23) | +0.760s | 17/18 | 330k |
| 6 | ^8 | Francesco Bagnaia | ITA | Ducati Lenovo (GP23) | +0.790s | 17/19 | 334k |
| 7 | ˅6 | Marco Bezzecchi | ITA | Mooney VR46 Ducati (GP22) | +0.835s | 18/19 | 334k |
| 8 | ˅3 | Jack Miller | AUS | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | +1.018s | 20/21 | 333k |
| 9 | ˅7 | Luca Marini | ITA | Mooney VR46 Ducati (GP22) | +1.063s | 19/19 | 335k |
| 10 | ^1 | Alex Marquez | SPA | Gresini Ducati (GP22) | +1.115s | 21/21 | 331k |
| 11 | ˅1 | Fabio Quartararo | FRA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +1.242s | 21/21 | 329k |
| 12 | ˅5 | Franco Morbidelli | ITA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +1.271s | 20/20 | 329k |
| 13 | ^2 | Marc Marquez | SPA | Repsol Honda (RC213V) | +1.272s | 19/20 | 333k |
| 14 | ^3 | Miguel Oliveira | POR | RNF Aprilia (RS-GP22) | +1.482s | 21/21 | 332k |
| 15 | ˅3 | Enea Bastianini | ITA | Ducati Lenovo (GP23) | +1.510s | 20/21 | 334k |
| 16 | = | Fabio Di Giannantonio | ITA | Gresini Ducati (GP22) | +1.531s | 20/21 | 333k |
| 17 | ˅9 | Raul Fernandez | SPA | RNF Aprilia (RS-GP22) | +1.543s | 19/19 | 329k |
| 18 | ^2 | Joan Mir | SPA | Repsol Honda (RC213V) | +2.174s | 18/19 | 329k |
| 19 | = | Augusto Fernandez | SPA | Tech3 GASGAS (RC16)* | +2.359s | 22/22 | 326k |
| 20 | ˅2 | Takaaki Nakagami | JPN | LCR Honda (RC213V) | +2.440s | 19/20 | 326k |
| 21 | ^1 | Pol Espargaro | SPA | Tech3 GASGAS (RC16) | +2.626s | 16/17 | 335k |
| 22 | ˅1 | Iker Lecuona | SPA | LCR Honda (RC213V) | +2.939s | 21/22 | 325k |
