2024 MotoGP British Grand Prix: Practice results

Fans were treated to uncharacteristically sunny British weather for the first day of on-track action at the 2024 MotoGP British Grand Prix.

Friday’s running enabled teams and riders to acclimatise to the circuit’s demanding layout as well as the conditions, as they started dialling in their set-ups for qualifying and the race.

The usual protagonists emerged in the premier class, with the likes of Jorge Martín and Francesco Bagnaia showing promising pace. But as the day progressed, the Aprilias and KTMs also showed potential, setting up what promises to be a thrilling weekend at Silverstone.

2024 MotoGP British Grand Prix FP1 results

FP1 in detail

Straight out of the blocks, the two Aprilia Racing riders looked fast, going one-two at the top of the times early in the session.

With 2023 race winner Aleix Espargaró picking up where he left off at Silverstone in first, he was then followed by reigning double World Champion Francesco Bagnaia and Marc Márquez, before Enea Bastianini slotted into third ahead of the eight-time champion.

With riders searching for the limits of adhesion, several of the front runners took to the run-off area on the exit of Maggotts.

As the session dipped under the 20-minute mark, Jorge Martín found his form and hit the front for the first time.

Lap times tumbled as the session drew to a close, but in the end, it was Martín who retained the fastest time of a 1:59.383. He was closely followed by the Aprilia duo of Viñales and Espargaró with Bagnaia in eighth and Márquez down in 10th.

2024 MotoGP British Grand Prix Practice results

Practice in detail

There was drama from the off in the premier class’ hour-long Practice session, as both Bastianini and Marco Bezzechi suffered mechanical issues on their outlaps. Luckily, they both made it back to the pits to continue the session.

After the field had set their first laps, Martín was quickest, but it wouldn’t last long as Espargaró took his turn at the top. Bagnaia then went fastest for the first time, just one thousandth quicker than Viñales. On his next lap, the reigning champion stretched his legs to go three-tenths clear.

The Ducati riders looked to be on good form as Bastianini took the top spot from his team-mate after a quarter of the session had run its course.

With just under 15 minutes of session time remaining, the final runs began as riders jostled for the top 10, Q2-securing spots.

Espargaró, Bagnaia, Di Giannantonio and Martín all set times that topped the session, but after an intense flurry of activity – and a crash at Brooklands for Alex Rins that put pay to any final lap improvement – it was Martín who ended the session fastest ahead of Espargaró and Bagnaia, while Márquez only just made it into the top ten.

Moto2

FP1

In the early stages of the first Moto2 session, Ai Ogura and Aron Canet traded fastest times. With just under 25 minutes to go, Jake Dixon gave the home crowd something to cheer about jumping to the top spot, becoming the first rider to dip under 2:05 with a 2:04.957.

Joe Roberts was the latest rider to go to the top of the times as the session entered its final 10 minutes, with championship leader Sergio Garcia slotting into second.

In the final moments of the session, the order shuffled considerably and by the chequered flag it was Aron Canet at the top of the pile with Somkiat Chantra second and Manuel Gonzalez in third. Dixon eventually slipped to 12th after showing impressive pace early on.

Practice 1

Dixon once again delighted the Silverstone crowd as he went fastest early in the session. The first sectors for Canet and Roberts looked to trouble the Brit, but they were unable to match his final sector so slotted into second and third respectively.

It took until the last five minutes of the session for anyone to topple Dixon, and Ogura was the rider to do it. Tony Arbolino then went even faster, and there were just six hundredths separating the top four. Roberts and Arbolino became the first two riders to dip under a 2:04, but a yellow flag in the final sector meant their laps were cancelled.

Like the weather, the pace in the late stages of the session was blistering, and Canet set a new lap record of a 2:03.602 ahead of Celestino Vietti and Tony Arbolino. Dixon and Garcia ended the session in seventh and eighth respectively.

Moto3

FP1

Championship leader David Alonso was on the pace from the off in the 35-minute session. Although David Muñoz and Tatsuki Suzuki also featured at the top of the times, Alonso had front-running pace throughout FP1.

In the final two minutes of the sessions, the lap times began to tumble, and Alonso was the first into the 2:09s with a 2:09.923. Title rival Iván Ortolá then slotted into second with six-hundredths separating the top two in the championship.

With his final effort, Alonso went even faster by over three-tenths and finished the session first ahead of Ortolá and Suzuki. Home favourite Scott Ogden had run as high as second earlier in the session, but eventually took the seventh fastest time.

Practice 1

After the first laps had been set, it was Suzuki who claimed the top spot, but was then displaced by his Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP team-mate Collin Veijer.

Alonso started to up the pace as the session reached its halfway point, setting faster and faster lap times and moving into second. His next lap was even quicker in the first sector, but he pushed beyond the limit and crashed out at Brooklands. Mercifully, he could get back up and running and was able to continue with his session.

With six minutes remaining, Jacob Roulstone went fastest, but Veijer responded by going half a second faster still. Shortly after setting his lap, Veijer replicated Alonso’s earlier crash at Brooklands and was unable to continue his session. Despite a flurry of quick laps at the chequered flag, Veijer held onto the top spot ahead of Ortolá, Roulstone and Ogden with Alonso in sixth. 

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