Weather alert at Silverstone: the MotoGP riders have been warned

There’s been a lot of talk about the crazy weather, exaggerated in terms of the highest recorded temperatures and then catastrophic when it decides to rebel. We’ve seen what happened in Emilia-Romagna, and there have been further disasters in both the Lombardy and Veneto regions of Italy. But we’re not here to talk about the weather. Rather, we’re here to talk about the British MotoGP at Silverstone, a round that is looking like it might be conditioned by an Atlantic jet stream. Although we’re used to certain scenes in the UK, this just might warrant consideration.

A wet and windy MotoGP: might outsiders prevail?

This season, we’ve only seen real rain at the Termas de Rio Hondo round, which made for some unexpected results. Brad Binder powered the KTM to victory in the Sprint, in response to Ducati’s domination with Pecco Bagnaia at Portimao. And the day after it was Marco Bezzecchi who scored the win, his first aboard the Desmosedici GP22.

Both the South African and the Italian have gone on to be frontrunners this season, but strong performances by Luca Marini and Alex Marquez show that there is at least some room for the outsiders in particular track conditions. Without underestimating the brothers of Valentino Rossi and Marc Marquez that is; far from it.

It’s clear though that rain, a lack of grip and the related pitfalls represent an additional challenge, which can be tackled in different ways – there are those who take risks, with nothing to lose, and those who manage the situation, because there’s no point trying to do more. Fabio Quartararo and Marc Marquez could do well aboard the struggling Yamaha and Honda.

MotoGP with "flag-to-flag"?!

In situations where the electronics, aerodynamics and engine power give way to the rider's right wrist, it is only right to report what the British meteorologists are predicting, which is, essentially, pouring rain, autumnal temperatures and wind. Wow.

Michelin will take care of providing teams with rain tyres, while teams and fans will be looking to the skies. What will the weather bring over the three-day race weekend? If conditions are suitably unstable, we can expect a flag-to-flag race on Sunday.

Or rather, the possibility to change bikes during the racing action and without interruption. Although the purists might object, this procedure definitely adds a dose of excitement and unpredictability. It’s not that we’re hoping for this but, in case of bad weather, we wouldn’t turn our noses up at it either.