Jorge Martin solidified his lead in the MotoGP World Championship by winning the sprint race at the British Grand Prix held at Silverstone. The Spaniard, riding for Aprilia, secured his third sprint victory of the season in a dominant team performance that saw his teammate Marco Bezzecchi finish third. Ai Ogura, Martin’s closest rival in the championship standings, claimed second place, widening Martin’s points advantage to 17 ahead of the main race.

The sprint event, a ten-lap contest, featured a strong showing from Aprilia with both riders on the podium. Bezzecchi’s return to competition followed recent collarbone and knee surgeries. His third-place finish allowed him to overtake Ducati’s Marc Marquez in the overall rankings, moving into third position in the championship as the season progresses.

Martin, 28, described the victory as the result of extensive work over the summer break, calling the performance “incredible.” Despite starting from pole position and making a clean start, he admitted to concerns about tyre wear affecting his grip in the final laps. “At the end, I really had no rear-tyre grip. I thought Ogura would catch me. But I was able to manage the distance and another sprint victory is always amazing,” he said.

Reigning world champion Marc Marquez experienced difficulties with tyre grip, which caused him to drop back to ninth place by the end of the sprint. His brother, Alex Marquez, who had previously won two sprint races at Silverstone, was the lead Ducati finisher in fourth position.

The sprint also saw home rider Carl Crutchlow crash on the opening lap. Although the LCR Honda rider initially rejoined, he was forced to retire later in the race. The results set the stage for the full Grand Prix later on, with Martin extending his lead and other riders aiming to make gains in the championship battle.