Alex Marquez tops opening practice at Silverstone

Marco Bezzecchi made a strong return from injury by finishing second in the opening practice session for the British Grand Prix at Silverstone on Friday, August 7, 2026. The session was led by Alex Marquez, who set the fastest time of 1 minute 58.692 seconds on his Gresini Ducati, 0.173 seconds ahead of Bezzecchi's Aprilia.

Bezzecchi's performance marked a positive comeback after he missed the previous race in Germany due to a crash that resulted in a collarbone fracture and required shoulder surgery and a knee procedure during the summer break. His participation at Silverstone was only confirmed after he passed a late fitness test on Thursday evening. Pedro Acosta of KTM finished third in the session, followed by Raul Fernandez and Fabio Di Giannantonio.

The current championship leader, Jorge Martin of Aprilia, began the weekend in eighth position. His closest rival in the standings, Ai Ogura, was seventh. Reigning champion Marc Marquez, now considered a title favorite after a mid-season resurgence, finished the session in sixth place. Marquez has won three of the last four grands prix, erasing a 100-point deficit to sit just 18 points behind Martin.