Why the British GP was a triumph for MotoGP

By:

Lewis Duncan

Aug 30, 2021, 3:30 PM

OPINION: The 2021 British Grand Prix was a historic day for MotoGP. At the centre of it was Aleix Espargaro on the Aprilia after securing its first podium in the modern MotoGP era. It was something of a full-circle moment that highlighted just how far MotoGP has come in the last decade

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Don't worry, the headline isn't a reference to Triumph extending its Moto2 engine supply deal for another three years – though it is nice to see a British company not seemingly being hit by the effects of Brexit. Nor is it in reference to the fact British fans were welcomed through the gates at Silverstone in their droves to line the circuit for the race's return since the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the 2020 edition.

History was made on Sunday at Silverstone as Aleix Espargaro scored Aprilia's first MotoGP podium of the modern era, which began back in 2002 with the introduction of the four-stroke formula. Having had to wait since the flag-to-flag Aragon GP back in 2014 when he was a Forward Racing Yamaha rider, and after months of feeling like he was close to breaking through on the Aprilia, Espargaro claimed third in completely normal circumstances after a last-lap duel with Ducati's Jack Miller.