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2026 British MotoGP News—Friday KTM allowed to address engine issues KTM has been given the green light to open the seals on its 2026 engines to fix the problems that have caused a spate of technical issues in recent rounds. The Austrian factory had recently been frustrated by the MSMA’s unwillingness to allow any sort of intervention. The manufacturers had to agree before KTM could take any corrective measures with the supervision of the authorities. “We can confirm that we have received the necessary approval to proceed with the corrective measures related to the technical matter we have been managing,” read an official KTM statement. The engines have not been checked before Silverstone, meaning the RC16s have recently been running with power turned down. “Sure some performance is missing,” said Pedro Acosta. “But nothing that will give us three tenths. KTM is working super hard to make it not happen all the mistakes that we were having during the first part of the season.” Steiner on Viñales situation Maverick Viñales is absent from Silverstone this weekend as he recovers from the left shoulder issues that have plagued the last 13 months of his life with test rider Pol Espargaro stepping in. It was reported KTM was on the cusp of replacing Viñales for the rest of the season after a heated few months during which the Spaniard has repeatedly criticized the factory’s management for how they handled his contract negotiations. However, Tech3 Owner Guenther Steiner clarified his rider is missing as extensive tests at the Red Bull Athlete Performance Centre showed the left shoulder is still far from ready for racing. “The underlying thing is there is a health issue with his shoulder. I don’t know the exact detail. I’m not a doctor,” said Steiner. Asked if he’d ever experienced anything like this situation before with a rider or driver in his career, Steiner said, “No. “Because normally, you know what the person has got and what to do. But at the moment, we don’t really know, not even the doctors can decide what is to be done.” Quartararo explains Honda switch Fabio Quartararo provided his reasons for leaving Yamaha at the close of 2026 after his hotly-anticipated Honda switch was confirmed over the summer break. After eight years with the Iwata factory, the 2021 World Champ feels the time is right to change. “The first ones were better than the last ones. It was the right time to move. I need fresh air, new people, a new project, and I think I needed a change on everything, on the mental side and on the package side.” Asked what convinced him of HRC’s plans, he explained, “We had many meetings with teams, and with Honda I had my questions really well answered, and this is what made me want to step there.” Friday MotoGP The opening half hour of Friday’s MotoGP session was relatively quiet, with Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) and teammate Raul Fernandez leading the way. As the pace increased, Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) made a significant move, climbing from 15th to fourth with 20 minutes remaining. The field remained incredibly tight, with the provisional top 10 separated by just 0.813 seconds. Drama followed at Luffield when Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) crashed while chasing teammate Pedro Acosta. Binder tucked the front and slid off, bringing out the yellow flags, but escaped uninjured and returned to the pits to salvage his Q2 hopes. The final 15 minutes produced a flurry of fast laps, with Acosta briefly moving into second before taking the lead with a 1:57.535. Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) soon bettered him, while Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) split the two. Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) then set a new lap record of 1:57.035, only for Ogura to become the first rider to break into the 1:56s. The closing stages delivered further drama, with both Acosta and Bagnaia crashing. Acosta’s earlier pace was enough to secure 10th and direct entry into Q2, while Bagnaia ended the session 13th and faced Q1. However, the biggest surprise came from Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing), making his return to action in spectacular fashion. The Italian produced a stunning 1:56.280 on his final flying lap, smashing the previous lap record by almost half a second and taking top spot by 0.335 seconds. Raul Fernandez finished second to make it an Aprilia 1-2, with Di Giannantonio third. Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing) was fourth ahead of Ogura, while Marc Marquez finished sixth and Alex Marquez seventh. Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol) was eighth, Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP) ninth and Acosta completed the top 10. 2026 British MotoGP Results—Friday MotoGP | 1 | Marco Bezzecchi | ITA | Aprilia Racing (RS-GP26) | 1:56.280s | | 2 | Raul Fernandez | SPA | Trackhouse Aprilia (RS-GP26) | +0.335s | | 3 | Fabio Di Giannantonio | ITA | Pertamina VR46 Ducati | +0.398s | | 4 | Jorge Martin | SPA | Aprilia Racing (RS-GP26) | +0.500s | | 5 | Ai Ogura | JPN | Trackhouse Aprilia (RS-GP26) | +0.530s | | 6 | Marc Marquez | SPA | Ducati Lenovo (GP26) | +0.733s | | 7 | Alex Marquez | SPA | BK8 Gresini Ducati (GP26) | +0.750s | | 8 | Joan Mir | SPA | Honda HRC Castrol (RC213V) | +0.831s | | 9 | Jack Miller | AUS | Pramac Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +1.042s | | 10 | Pedro Acosta | SPA | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | +1.083s | Friday Moto2 Daniel Holgado (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) set the pace in Moto2 Practice at Silverstone, establishing a new all-time lap record with a 2:01.815. The MotoGP-bound Spaniard was 0.095 seconds clear of Senna Agius (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP), while Agius’ teammate Manuel Gonzalez completed the top three. Gonzalez, the World Championship leader, finished just 0.200 seconds behind Holgado as the title battle begins to intensify. Alex Escrig (KLINT Racing Team) continued his impressive form in fourth, one place ahead of Izan Guevara (BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2), the leading Boscoscuro rider. Guevara sits second in the championship and will be keeping a close eye on Gonzalez heading into qualifying. The recently injured trio of Barry Baltus (REDS Fantic Racing), Daniel Muñoz (Italtrans Racing Team) and Mario Aji (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) all enjoyed strong returns, finishing sixth, seventh and eighth, respectively. It was a difficult session for David Alonso (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team), however, with the Colombian unable to find his pace and ending the day 22nd. The newly announced 2027 HRC MotoGP rider will therefore have to come through Q1, unlike championship rivals Celestino Vietti (GT Trevisan SpeedRS Team) and Ivan Ortola (QJMOTOR – Biolec – MSI), who finished ninth and 10th. Ortola’s session included a late crash at Stowe but he retained a top-14 position and direct passage to Q2. 2026 British MotoGP Results—Friday Moto2 | 1 | Daniel Holgado | SPA | CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team (Kalex) | 2:01.815s | | 2 | Senna Agius | AUS | LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP (Kalex) | +0.095s | | 3 | Manuel Gonzalez | SPA | LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP (Kalex) | +0.272s | | 4 | Alex Escrig | SPA | KLINT Racing Team (Forward) | +0.462s | | 5 | Izan Guevara | SPA | BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2 (Boscoscuro) | +0.585s | | 6 | Barry Baltus | BEL | REDs Fantic Racing (Kalex) | +0.365s | | 7 | Daniel Munoz | SPA | Italtrans Racing Team (Kalex) | +0.657s | | 8 | Mario Aji | INA | Idemitsu Honda Team Asia (Kalex) | +0.775s | | 9 | Celestino Vietti | ITA | GT Trevisan SpeedRS Team (Boscoscuro) | +0.875s | | 10 | Ivan Ortola | SPA | QJMOTOR – Biolec -MSI (Kalex) | +0.882s | Friday Moto3 Valentin Perrone (Red Bull KTM Tech3) topped the opening day of the British GP, setting the Moto3 pace with a 2:09.568 as the 2026 season reached its halfway point. With all the major championship contenders securing direct passage to Q2, Saturday’s qualifying promises plenty of action. As is often the case in Moto3, tactics played a major role, with late laps deciding the order. Perrone edged out home favorite Scott Ogden (CRESCENT Racing Honda) after the Brit briefly claimed P1 by breaking away from the main group. Ogden settled for a strong second, while rookie Veda Pratama (Honda Team Asia) impressed in third. Brian Uriarte (Red Bull KTM Ajo) was fourth, ahead of Irishman Casey O’Gorman (SIC58 Squadra Corse). Returning rider David Almansa (LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP) was sixth, while championship leader Maximo Quiles (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team) finished seventh. Matteo Bertelle (LEVELUP-MTA), Hakim Danish (AEON Credit – MT Helmets – MSI) and Guido Pini (Leopard Racing) were among those who failed to make direct Q2 entry. 2026 British MotoGP Results—Friday Moto3 | 1 | Valentin Perrone | ARG | Red Bull KTM Tech3 (KTM) | 2m 09.568s | | 2 | Scott Ogden | GBR | CIP Green Power (KTM) | +0.010s | | 3 | Veda Pratama | INA | Honda Team Asia (Honda) | +0.071s | | 4 | Brian Uriarte | SPA | Red Bull KTM Ajo (KTM) | +0.100s | | 5 | Casey O’Gorman | IRL | SIC58 Squadra Corse (Honda) | +0.183s | | 6 | David Almansa | SPA | Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP (KTM) | +0.236s | | 7 | Maximo Quiles | SPA | CFMOTO Valresa Aspar Team (KTM) | +0.270s | | 8 | Alvaro Carpe | SPA | Red Bull KTM Ajo (KTM) | +0.361s | | 9 | Adrian Cruces | SPA | CIP Green Power (KTM) | +0.368s | | 10 | Joel Esteban | SPA | LEVEL UP – MTA (KTM) | +0.375s |