Suzuki’s Alex Rins beat Honda’s Marc Marquez in a photo finish to win British GP with Yamaha’s Maverick Vinales in third in an all-Spaniard MotoGP podium.
It was a dramatic start to British GP as Petronas Yamaha SRT’s Fabio Quartararo went too hard in Turn 1 and slid to take Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso along, with both riders retiring straightaway.
Quartararo was seen limping, while Dovizioso was stretched out but the Italian managed to stand up on his own. His bike though turned into a fireball as his chances for 2019 MotoGP title went up in flames too.
Pole-sitter and Honda’s Marc Marquez led the way with Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi in second from Suzuki’s Alex Rins in the Top 3. Just behind, it was Yamaha’s Maverick Vinales in fourth leading the rest of the pack.
The other Petronas Yamaha SRT of Franco Morbidelli slotted in fifth from LCR Honda’s Cal Crutchlow, with Pramac Ducati’s Jack Milelr dropping back to seventh from the other LCR Honda of Takaaki Nakagami.
At the front, Marquez led the way as Rins passed Rossi to take second with the Italian losing out to Vinales as well. Behind, Crutchlow passed Morbidelli but the latter came back to retake fifth.
Crutchlow also lost out to Miller but the British racer retook to sixth as Ducati’s Danilo Petrucci climbed up to eighth. There were multiple incidents in between with two riders retiring after crash.
Avintia Ducati’s Tito Rabat was first to crash at Turn 13 but the Spaniard remained in the race, as did Nakagami after his fall. KTM’s Johann Zarco and Tech 3 KTM’s Miguel Oliveira weren’t lucky to continue.
Zarco tried to pass Oliveira in the inside but they touched to retire. At the front, Rins made a move on Marquez to take the British GP lead but the Honda rider came back soon to retake his track position.
The two though stayed together with Vinales not far behind. The two riders continued to tussle until the final lap with Rins making it through for a corner but losing out then in a wheel-to-wheel fight.
They stayed together until the end and Rins made it stick when it mattered as the Suzuki rider took the inside line in the final corner to get alongside Marquez and eventually take the chequered flag on the line first.
They were only 0.013s apart in a photo finish as Vinales then completed the podium ahead of Rossi and Morbidelli. Local rider Crutchlow was sixth with Petrucci getting past Miller on the final lap to be seventh.
KTM’s Pol Espargaro finished ninth with Aprilia’s Andrea Iannone doing well in 10th ahead of Pramac Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia. Behind, substitute Suzuki rider Sylvain Guintoli did well to end up 12th.
The lone Tech 3 KTM rider Hafizh Syahrin was 13th after the Malaysian went past Honda’s Jorge Lorenzo late in the grand prix. The Spaniard did a fine job on return despite struggling with endurance.
The last point went to Avintia Ducati’s Karel Abraham with teammate Rabat just behind in 16th and Nakagami 17th. Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro was classified 18th but the Spaniard pitted to retire on the final lap.
DNF: Oliveira, Zarco, Quartararo, Dovizioso.