Eleven winners in eleven years: Alex Marquez on the Silverstone phenomenon

Gresini Ducati rider Alex Marquez has had a devastating first half of the season compared to the 2025 season. Whilst ‘AM73’ took on the role of MotoGP runner-up and shield for his brother Marc right from the start last year, things have not gone to plan in 2026. It is worth noting that, after the summer break last year, Alex Marquez had more points to his name than the current championship leader, Jorge Martin. Alex Márquez has managed to secure just 87 points so far this season, sitting in 8th place ahead of the Silverstone Grand Prix.

The 30-year-old’s injury woes have played a major part in this. This is also why the summer break was not a break in the traditional sense, as the younger Marquez rider reported: “This year I didn’t need a break to recover; I needed it to build up my strength. I’d already had my break in 2026 after Catalunya. Over the summer, I had around three and a half weeks to get back into good shape after my second injury. That time was devoted solely to preparing as well as possible for the second half of the season. I think I’m at 90 or 95 per cent now – by the next race in Aragon, I should be at 100 per cent.”

Alex Márquez isn’t just free to ride at Silverstone

Alex Márquez is over 120 points behind championship leader Jorge Martín. Yet overall, the championship is very closely contested. How does the runner-up view the standings? “Being 121 points behind at the halfway stage is far too much to even think about, but this season is very unusual because all the top riders are lacking consistency. Anything seems possible. My situation is simple and clear – to get the best out of every race and strive for that consistency. I can ride very freely; first, I’ll make sure I’m back in top form – then I can also compete for victory – and enjoy the season right through to the final round.”

Der Sieger des letzten Silverstone-Sprints: Alex Marquez

Foto: Gold and Goose

Next year’s KTM works rider also commented on another extraordinary fact. Over the past eleven years that the British Grand Prix has been held at Silverstone, eleven different riders have stood at the top of the podium. Of the current riders, Bezzecchi, Bastianini, Bagnaia, Quartararo, Rins and Viñales have all won there – and even multiple champion Marc Márquez has yet to secure a victory there. Alex Márquez: “The Silverstone circuit is very special in many ways and certainly unique when it comes to how its conditions change. In 2025, I was clearly the fastest in the Sprint – but in the GP I didn’t stand a chance.”

Topic of the week

The 2027 Formula 1 grid: Will the transfer bombshell only drop in the autumn?

Summertime, holiday season, the silly season: these are the weeks when the most outrageous driver changes are usually discussed. The big news for the 2027 season is yet to materialise.

Read more

TV program

Tomorrow

Silverstone: International Livestream

MotoGP World Championship

07.08.2026 - 10:55

Long and fast: Silverstone is constantly changing

The Gresini rider continued: “The lap times on Sunday were two seconds slower than on Saturday. Temperatures and wind also have a constant influence, partly due to the track’s length and layout. As a result, the perfect set-up is actually constantly changing. That’s what makes it so unpredictable.” At 5,900 metres, Silverstone is the longest circuit on the calendar, with an average lap speed of over 180 km/h; only the significantly shorter circuits at Phillip Island and Buriram are faster on average.

So excitement is guaranteed, and not just for qualifying. After all, pole position carries correspondingly less significance. In each of the last five GP races at Silverstone, the winner was not the pole-setter. In 2025, Marco Bezzecchi won – starting from 11th on the grid. Alex Marquez, who won the Sprint, finished fifth.