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MotoGP Silverstone: Ducati faces tire crisis as Aprilia dominates
The 2026 MotoGP British Grand Prix at Silverstone has been defined by unexpected rear tire degradation, particularly impacting Ducati riders. During the Sprint race, Jorge Martín secured victory for Aprilia, while Marc Márquez finished ninth after suffering a drastic drop in performance due to rear tire graining. Francesco Bagnaia faced even greater difficulties, finishing 17th after struggling with a total lack of grip.
Multiple riders, including Ai Ogura and Fabio Di Giannantonio, noted that the degradation was more severe than anticipated during practice sessions. Marc Márquez described the situation as a "race of survival," noting that the issue was not simple wear but graining that prevented the tire from operating in the correct temperature window.
In the subsequent warm-up session, Alex Márquez led the timesheets, closely followed by Raúl Fernández. While Aprilia appears to have a more stable package for tire management, Ducati riders are focusing on technical adjustments to mitigate the grip issues ahead of the main 20-lap race.
Entities
Ai Ogura · Alex Márquez · Aprilia · Ducati · Fabio Quartararo · Jorge Martin · Marc Márquez · MotoGP · Silverstone · Yamaha
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Adrian Fernández was fastest in Friday’s FP1 with a time of 2:11.050.
- [● 2 SOURCES] Marco Bezzecchi finished third in FP2. www.motosport.com.pt
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Guido Pini failed to qualify for Q2 after finishing 23rd in a later practice session.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Guido Pini finished 16th in FP1 with a time of 2:12.001.
- [● 2 SOURCES] Fabio Di Giannantonio set the fastest time in FP2 at Silverstone with 1:57.885. www.motosport.com.pt
- [● 2 SOURCES] Four Aprilia riders were in the top six of FP2. www.motosport.com.pt
- [● 2 SOURCES] Raul Fernández finished second in FP2, 0.117 seconds behind the leader. www.motosport.com.pt
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Adrian Fernández improved to 2:10.159 in a later practice session, securing a spot in Q2.