Bezzecchi and Holgado set records, Perrone leads practice at British GP

Italian rider Marco Bezzecchi, aboard an Aprilia RS-GP, shattered the Silverstone lap record during official practice for the British Grand Prix. On his final flying lap, Bezzecchi set an astonishing new absolute record of 1:56.280, a time nearly a full second faster than the previous best.

The previous record, established in 2025 by France's Fabio Quartararo with a Yamaha YZR M 1, stood at 1:57.233. However, the pace at Silverstone was exceptionally high this year. Marc Márquez, a nine-time world champion, was the first to dip below Quartararo's benchmark, clocking 1:57.013. Shortly after, Ai Ogura surpassed Márquez, breaking the 1:57 barrier with a 1:56.810 lap.

Fabio di Giannantonio also posted a strong time of 1:56.976. Francesco 'Pecco' Bagnaia, the reigning world champion, managed to qualify within the top ten with a 1:57.691 but later crashed at turn six, ending his session. Joan Mir, who had been moved out of the qualifying positions by Bagnaia, subsequently improved to eighth.

Raúl Fernández also recorded a remarkable lap of 1:56.615, but Bezzecchi ultimately proved unbeatable. The Aprilia factory rider's final lap of 1:56.280 solidified his position at the top, demonstrating a significant leap in performance.

In Moto2, Spanish rider Daniel Holgado, riding a Kalex, also set a new absolute lap record. While Senna Agius of Australia initially set a record with 2:01.910, Holgado bettered it with a 2:01.815. Holgado, who is set to move to MotoGP in 2027 with Ducati and Gresini Racing, significantly surpassed the previous Moto2 record of 2:02.111 set by Manuel González in 2027. González himself finished third in practice.