Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Valentino Rossi and Maverick Viñales are traveling to the United Kingdom for the GoPro British Grand Prix, held at the Silverstone Circuit this weekend.
The teammates arrive at the twelfth round feeling ready for the 2018 MotoGP World Championship fight again, after a full-on private test held at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli last week.
Both riders look forward to riding at Silverstone, a circuit with fast sweeping corners that’s well suited to their YZR-M1s.
Rossi is currently holding second place in the championship standings and is feeling extra motivated to win at Silverstone. He was in the mix for the win at the British GP last year but came just short and would love nothing more than a do-over.
He still thinks back with pleasure to his 2015 win at Silverstone. When the British Grand Prix moved there in 2010, he missed out on the first edition due to injury but stood on the podium three other times when he scored third places in 2014, 2016, and 2017.
Viñales has expressed that he is a fan of the Silverstone Circuit numerous times, and the statistics back up his claim that the UK is a successful podium hunting ground for him. He secured a Moto3 class victory there in 2012, a third place in the Moto2 class in 2014, and he took his first ever MotoGP victory on British soil in 2016.
Last year the young Spaniard landed a double podium for Yamaha, taking second place from his teammate who finished third. Holding fifth position in the current championship standings, he is fully focused on securing a top result to climb back up the rider rankings.
Silverstone was added to the MotoGP calendar in 2010 but has an over-sixty-years-long racing history. Thanks to innovations and investments, the circuit became one of the fastest tracks on the calendar and earned high praise from the riders. Their enthusiasm is echoed by the fans, whose passion for racing gives the weekend an incredible atmosphere, making the British Grand Prix a must-be-at event.
Due to the UK being situated in a different time zone, the schedule of the British GP will slightly differ from the usual Central European Grand Prix timetable. The FP1 and FP2 sessions will take place on Friday from 09:55 – 10:40 and 14:05 – 14:50 local track time (GMT+1). On Saturday FP3 will be held from 09:55 – 10:40, followed by FP4, Q1 and Q2 in the afternoon at 13:30 – 14:00, 14:10 – 14:25 and 14:35 – 14:50. On Sunday the Warm Up will be staged at 09:30 – 09:50 and the race is scheduled to start at 13:00.
Valentino Rossi
Championship: 2nd – Points: 142
“August is a really busy month. After the last two races in Brno and Spielberg we had work to do. On Sunday at the Misano test we tried different set-ups and electronic solutions, and it was important to prepare better for the San Marino Grand Prix, that’s coming up fast. But first we focus on this weekend. We now go to Silverstone, a track that I really like. As usual, with my team we will work strongly to achieve the best results. I hope that at Silverstone we can be fast, so I can have a good race.”
Maverick Viñales
Championship: 5th – Points: 113
“After the test in Misano last Sunday we come to the Silverstone Circuit in a positive mood. We have a good feeling and the satisfaction of having worked hard. The team is looking forward to getting this weekend started, because the track’s fast lay-out suits our bike, as the results of the previous years show. As I always said, Silverstone is a special track for me because I won my first MotoGP race there. I like this circuit a lot; there are many fast corners, many chicanes, and that’s something that really suits my riding style. Honestly, it’s one of the best tracks on the calendar for me. It’s one of the Grands Prix that I’m always eager to go to, and I will do my best and give my maximum to be on the podium again, like I was in 2017, or even better. Last year we were the fastest on the last laps, so we are going to try to be more competitive and even stronger this weekend.”
Massimo Meregalli
Movistar Yamaha MotoGP – Team Director
“We’ve got a lot of work done at the Misano test last week, so now we are ready for the next round of the championship at Silverstone. Maverick really loves this track and also Vale has enjoyed great successes here. The British GP has historically always been a strong race weekend for our team, because the track lay-out suits our bike well and our riders both like its fast corners and sweeping lines. Last year we secured a double podium, and this year we’ll fight even harder. We’re at a crucial part of the season, so we have to keep pushing 100% every race weekend.”
Fired up Monster Yamaha Tech3 Duo Eager to Conquer the UK
Just a few days after the intense back to back comeback following the summer break, Johann Zarco and Hafizh Syahrin are primed to arrive at Silverstone for the British Grand Prix battle this weekend.
With a rather difficult Austrian Grand Prix in his mind, Monster Yamaha Tech3 star Zarco can’t wait to be back on track this Friday at 9.55 local time, aiming to find a decent pace from the beginning and proving his great talent again in reaching the top positions again. In the overall standings the fast Frenchman actually sits in seventh, just nine points from the top 5, while Malaysian MotoGP rookie Syahrin on the other side targets to arrive inside the points scorings positions once more to extend his lead in the Rookie of the Year classification, after he narrowly missed out on some spots last week in Spielberg.
Johann Zarco
Championship: 7th – Points: 104
“The Silverstone circuit is a huge track compared to Austria. I heard that we are going to have new tarmac, so maybe we find less bumps than last year. Last weekend in the race, everyone could see that I was struggling with my bike, but I keep trusting in the work we do together with my team, anyway I will just go, try to do my best as usual and want to find a good feeling quickly. This track is quite fast and I like this, maybe I can find some different lines to be faster than the other guys or fast enough to be back close to the podium, which would be simply fantastic.”
Hafizh Syahrin
Championship: 16th – Points: 24
“I’m looking forward to the next race in Silverstone. It looks like it’s not going to be so difficult with the Yamaha there, so I hope we can improve on the last race from the FP1 to the Qualifying. We have a good pace in the race, but I need a better starting position. I guess it will be difficult there for the first time on the MotoGP machine, but I can’t wait to arrive, to work hard in order to be stronger in the race and better prepared for Qualifying as well. I want to give my all for a good grid position, try to have a strong start and want to learn from the more experienced riders. I hope we’ll have good weather in Silverstone.”
Hervé Poncharal
Monster Yamaha Tech3 – Team Manager
“For the next round, the British Grand Prix we come to a circuit, which is really fast and where I believe Yamaha should be closer to the front than the previous two GP’s. Last year Johann was quite good, just right behind the leading group, but not fast enough to be inside this group. Hopefully he will find the right setup to be there this year. The experience from last season should help. This is clearly a very special race, the track is fast and flowing, but more than anything the public is one of the best if it’s not the best of the whole calendar. The British crowd consists of the ones who follow intensely and know more than anybody else. On Thursday, when we meet, we almost see the same people every year again and having a chat about what has happening during the last 12 months. If ever the weather is on our side – we keep our fingers crossed to have dry weather – this is a really nice venue, a place, where we like racing and we always have exciting racing. Hafizh Syahrin has never been there on a MotoGP bike, but I believe he likes the layout as well. So, a few days off have been more than welcome after the back to back races, plus the test following the Czech Grand Prix and soon it’s time to hit the track in the UK.”
