09/08/2026

Nail-biting finish at Silverstone with an unfortunate outcome

Manuel Gonzalez loses what seemed like a sure victory after a misunderstanding on the final lap and finishes 14th with a bent exhaust, while a technical problem drops Senna Agius down to 20th place.

The Silverstone Circuit always guarantees exciting races. That was certainly the case again for round twelve of this year’s Moto2 World Championship, which took place under ideal conditions throughout the weekend and couldn't have been more dramatic.

Once again, World Championship leader Manuel Gonzalez left his mark on the race. Although the 24-year-old Spaniard didn’t get off to the best start from the second row, he got stronger and stronger as the race went on. In the final laps, he gave it his all to take the lead. His closest rivals, however, didn’t let up, leading to some nail-biting battles.

Gonzalez gave it his all in the penultimate lap of the track’s last sector to overtake Daniel Holgado, who had been in the lead up to that point. His determination paid off, until, at the start-finish line, when he celebrated his supposed victory one lap too early and closed the throttle slightly, causing his compatriot, who was right behind him, to make contact with his bike. This bent the Intact GP rider’s exhaust pipe, causing him to fall back on the final lap and ultimately cross the finish line in 14th place. He was deeply frustrated, but with a still-comfortable lead of 42.5 points, the World Championship leader is already looking forward with confidence to the next race in Aragon.

For Senna Agius, the race, in which he had high hopes, was practically over after just a few laps when a technical problem severely slowed him down. Although he found himself in a hopeless situation, he bravely completed the 17 laps distance and finished in P20. He leaves Great Britain still in third place in the World Championship standings and is more than motivated to make another push at the next opportunity.

The championship will now take another break of just under three weeks. On the last weekend in August, the Grand Prix of Aragón will take place in the outback of Spain's eastern coastline.

Moto2™ Race Classification (17 Laps):
1 Filip SALAC / CZE / OnlyFans American Racing Team / KALEX / 35´01.869
2 Ivan ORTOLA / SPA / QJMOTOR - R.O.M.E.A. - MSI / KALEX / +0.303
3 Alex ESCRIG / SPA / KLINT Racing Team / FORWARD / +0.652
…
14 #18 Manuel GONZALEZ / SPA / LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP / KALEX / +15.060
20 #81 Senna AGIUS / AUS / LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP / KALEX / +19.246

Moto2™ World Standings:
1 #18 Manuel GONZALEZ / SPA / KALEX / 197,5
2 IZAN GUEVARA / SPA / BOSCOSCURO / 155
3 #81 Senna AGIUS / AUS / KALEX / 136

Moto2™ Team Standings:
1 LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP 333,5
2 CFMOTO Azul Marino Aspar Team 244
3 BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2 170,5

Manuel Gonzalez

Race: P14 +15.060
Moto2 World Championship 2026: P1 - 197,5 Points

«The race went more or less as we had expected, and to be honest, I had expected to be a bit faster initially. But in the first few laps, I struggled a bit when I was behind other riders. I’d been riding alone all weekend, but when you’ find yourselves riding in a group, it feels completely different. So, I tried to adapt and make a few adjustments, which resulted in me getting stronger and stronger and catching up. And in the final laps, I felt really comfortable in the battles and tried to win. However, a few laps earlier, I’d been looking for the lap counter display at the finish line but couldn’t see it. So, I thought it was the last lap, and I passed Dani in the final sector by braking really hard in a few spots. But he was fighting really hard, too. I wasn’t 100 percent sure if it was the last lap or not, so I crossed the finish line at full throttle, even though I was already celebrating a little bit. The bad luck was that Dani touched the sprocket and the exhaust, which is why I couldn’t fight anymore in the last lap. Anyway, we have to look on the bright side: Even though we struggled a bit today, we were one of the strongest packages on track and had a chance for victory. That’s why I’m not disappointed, I’m actually really happy with our overall performance. Still, I feel bad for the team that I made a mistake at the finish line.»

Senna Agius

Race: P20 +19.246
Moto2 World Championship 2026: P3 – 136 Points

«Unfortunately, we had a technical problem today. That made it difficult to keep going, but I decided not to give up, even though the race was more or less over for me. I just tried to stay in the mix, avoid making mistakes, and see what we could still achieve to make the best of it. As I said, I decided not to retire, and I’m proud to have finished the race. The weekend at Silverstone was a bit more difficult. We need to understand the problem and make some changes, so it doesn’t happen again, and then start fresh at Aragon, where we know we’ll be fast. Still, many thanks to the team.»

Jürgen Lingg

Teammanager

«Overall, Silverstone was a good weekend in terms of performance. Things went well right from the start on Friday, and Saturday was also positive, even though qualifying didn’t go quite according to plan for Senna. Still, everything looked promising before the start. In the race, both had a semi-good start but were able to work their way up through the field right away. Unfortunately, Senna had a shifting problem very early on, which left him with no chance. That’s a shame for him, because he was feeling really good today. Still, we have great respect for his determination to finish the race. That was fantastic of him.»

««Manu once again put in a very smart race. It was a difficult challenge, as his competitors fought hard. In the end, he was able to come out on top, but unfortunately, he misjudged the number of laps. It’s hard to see that here, and even harder when you’re in the thick of a battle. When he celebrated too early, another rider hit his exhaust, causing it to bend and press against his rear wheel. That’s why he lost so many positions on the last lap. It was an unfortunate ending, but we have to focus on the positives: Both of our riders were very competitive again today; we continue to lead the team standings and hold first and third place in the rider standings. We’re very confident that the second half of the season will go well if we can maintain this level of performance. The entire team is doing an outstanding job, and we’ll give it our all again in Aragón.»

#BritishGP Sunday

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