Marco Bezzecchi claimed a surprise victory for himself and Aprilia at Silverstone. It was the manufacturer’s first win since Austin in 2024 and the Italian’s first since India in 2023.
Qualifying in 11th, Bezzecchi benefited from Ducati’s struggles in the cold conditions and a heartbreaking retirement for Fabio Quartararo to claim the win over Johann Zarco by over four seconds.
Bezzecchi found a ‘trick’ on his recon lap with the gusts of wind in the corners, which proved key to his win. The result propels the Italian to seventh in the standings and Aprilia ahead of KTM and Yamaha.
| Pos. | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | Ducati | 215 |
| 2 | Honda | 110 |
| 3 | Aprilia | 93 |
| 4 | KTM | 88 |
| 5 | Yamaha | 84 |
It is a much-needed morale boost for the Noale outfit after the recent development that defending champion Jorge Martin wants to leave Aprilia by the end of 2025. The Spaniard has activated an exit clause in his contract that states he can leave if he is not in a competitive position after six races.
Aprilia will fight their case with the 27-year-old as they claim the clause is invalid, given Martin has been injured for most of the season. However, Martin’s injuries are ‘not specified’ in the clause, effectively giving him the right to seek an exit.
The Spaniard is not satisfied with the progression of the RS-GP25, but Bezzecchi’s win at the British Grand Prix will give Aprilia vindication that the bike can perform.
‘No part’ of Aprilia is feeling ‘smug’ towards Jorge Martin after Marco Bezzecchi’s win at Silverstone
Naturally, given the situation surrounding Martin and his dissatisfaction with the project, despite barely riding the bike, Aprilia may be forgiven for feeling ‘smug’ towards the 2024 MotoGP champion after Bezzecchi’s Silverstone triumph.
However, when asked if the manufacturer could call it ‘karma’ to Martin, journalist Simon Patterson said that there is ‘no part of Aprilia’ that feels that way to Martin.
“Aprilia wouldn’t. That’s the thing, there’s no part of Aprilia that’s smug tonight,” he said via The Race MotoGP Podcast.
“There’s a bit of fortuitous timing here, where they just happen to have a good weekend when they needed it, because a circuit that they’re good at fell at the right time in the calendar.
“And Martin will know that, that this is the Silverstone effect as well. But it still doesn’t change the fact that there’s a bit of a feel-good factor about it for the team.”
READ MORE: Everything to know about Jorge Martin from net worth to girlfriend
How have Jorge Martin and other key figures in the paddock reacted to Aprilia’s Silverstone win?
Aprilia’s win at Silverstone was a surprise, given they had struggled to perform in Martin’s absence. Before the race, Ai Ogura was the highest-placed rider, sitting 10th in the standings.
But Bezzecchi’s display showed the RS-GP25 does have some strong pace. Bezzecchi told Aleix Espargaro the bike was ‘incredible’ before winning the Grand Prix.
Espargaro says everyone in the paddock knows Aprilia is very competitive, something Martin is yet to see, given he has crashed every time he has ridden the RS-GP25.
Massimo Rivola sent a clear message to Martin with Bezzecchi’s win that Aprilia have a competitive bike waiting for him. However, Rivola also surprisingly defended Martin’s stance, saying that he deserves respect for going through huge turmoil in hospital during his recovery.
