Aleix Espargaro passes MotoGP title leader Francesco Bagnaia on final lap of British Grand Prix for Silverstone win

Aleix Espargaro secured his first win of the season with a last-lap-move on Francesco Bagnaia in a dramatic British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

The Spaniard rode a patient race and made a well-calculated overtake through Maggotts and Becketts stick before fighting off Bagnaia’s counter at Stowe.

All front riders resisted mixed conditions as the rain started to come down in the late stages of the Grand Prix.

“It was crazy,” Espargaro said in parc ferme. “From the first lap, even though I started 12th, I immediately felt super good on the bike. It’s been one of those days where you feel invincible – the bike was turning, we had good grip, good braking stability.

“My plan was to pass [Bagnaia] and try to go away, but when it started to rain I said okay, it’s better to stay quiet behind Pecco. And then on the last lap I had something more and I tried to overtake him.

“But the last lap was quite dramatic! A lot of riders came from behind and it was slippery, so I was quite scared in the last part.”

Espargaro was far from the sharp end of the race in the early stages. Instead, it was Jack Miller who made a superb start and stole the holeshot from pole sitter Marco Bezzecchi. Bagnaia was on the charge from the get-go and claimed the lead on the second lap.

In response, Bezzecchi swiftly passed Miller and the two Ducatis started to edge away at the front. The battle behind them got feisty and Miller was forced wide, resulting in the Aussie dropping down the order. Espargaro and sprint winner Alex Marquez led the hunt, but the race was soon over for the latter who retired with a technical issue.

Drama struck on the sixth lap when Bezzecchi lost the front under braking and went down at Turn 15, putting a massive dent to his championship ambitions.

Bagnaia couldn’t relax though as Espargaro was on his case and Maverick Vinales too found great pace, dragging Brad Binder with him to the front. By Lap 14, they had closed in to make it a four-horse race. Further behind, Miguel Oliveira was flying through the field.

The race was under threat of rain and drizzle started to come down with six laps to go. The white flags were out, but with so little time remaining and the track not getting properly wet, a bike swap was hardly worthwhile. Indeed, the front-runners all opted to stay out on slicks.

Oliveira closed the gap and joined the fight for the win with two laps to go. In contrast, Vinales gradually lost touch.

Bagnaia hadn’t surrendered the lead since taking it at the start and headed the field going into the final lap. The Italian looked set for another win but eventually had to settle for second when Espargaro found an extra gear. Nevertheless, with Bezzecchi’s crash Bagnaia’s championship advantage increased to 41 points over Jorge Martin who is now occupying runner-up in the table.

“It was tricky, sincerely,” Bagnaia admitted post race. “I just tried to keep the lead and take more control of the race.

“I tried to push, but we chose the soft front tyre due to the temperature and it was a bit on the limit – it would have been very easy to lose the front. Then when it started to rain, I didn’t know whether to push and where the limit was.

“Second today is a great result. It wasn’t an easy weekend – certainly yesterday wasn’t the best day – but finishing second makes me happy.”

Behind, Binder, known for working magic on slicks in damp conditions, managed to hold Oliveira behind him to secure the final podium spot.

“The track is so big and covers so much space – it was wet in some sectors and others were bone-dry,” the KTM rider reported in parc ferme. “When you arrived at a wet section, it was difficult to understand just how wet it was.

“Hats off to my team, they did an amazing job. My bike worked fantastically and I’d have loved to have gotten the win for them today, but third will have to do.”

Starting from 16th on the grid and not having impressed so far this weekend, Oliveira had no business being anywhere near the sharp end of the race. However, the RNF Aprilia rider was flying through the field and within victory contention in the late stages.

Despite missing out on the podium in the end, Oliveira’s charge through the pack was a highlight of the Grand Prix and the Portuguese truly excelled when it mattered the most.

Indeed, it was a marvellous race for Aprilia overall with Espargaro taking the win and both Oliveira and Vinales also bagging top five finishes.

LAP 1/20: MILLER TAKES THE HOLESHOT – Miller makes a superb start and steals the holeshot from pole sitter Bezzecchi. Bagnaia makes his way up into second.

LAP 3/20: DUCATI DUO PULLS AWAY, ESPARGARO ON THE HUNT – Having passed Miller, leading duo Bagnaia and Bezzecchi start to establish a gap at the front. Espargaro proves his early pace and punches his way into the role of first chaser.

LAP 6/20: BEZZECCHI CRASHES OUT – The race is over for Bezzecchi who loses the front under braking at Turn 15 and goes down and out. Espargaro closes in on Bagnaia.

LAP 14/20: VINALES MAKES IT A FOUR-HORSE RACE, RAIN FLAGS ARE OUT – Vinales closes the gap to Bagnaia and Esparfaro, dragging Binder with him and making it a group of four at the head of the field. Rain is starting to come down.

LAP 18/20: OLIVEIRA IN THE MIX – Oliveira has closed the gap to the front group and gets involved in the fight for positions.

LAP 20/20: LAST-LAP-MOVE BAGS ESPARGARO WIN – Bagnaia looks set for another victory, but Espargaro makes his move halfway through the final lap. Sweeping past through Maggotts and Becketts, the Spaniard takes the lead and fights off Bagnaia’s counter at Stowe. Binder holds Oliveira behind him.