MotoGP resumes in Great Britain, specifically at the track that hosted Formula 1 just a month ago. This weekend's event will mark the 25th GP at the Silverstone Circuit, a track first used in 1977.
It takes its name from the nearby village, which has fewer than three thousand inhabitants and is located about a hundred kilometers from London. The last Briton to win here was Jake Dixon in 2024 in Moto2.
GP Data
According to Brembo engineers, who for the 11th consecutive year are working closely with all MotoGP teams, the 5.9 km long Silverstone Circuit falls into the category of moderately demanding circuits for brakes. On a scale from 1 to 6, it has a difficulty index of 3 due to the 11 braking points per lap, totaling 35 seconds. Four are in the Hard category, but spread across the track, 4 Medium, and 3 Light.
The toughest corner
The toughest corner of the Silverstone Circuit for the braking system is Turn 15: MotoGP bikes go from 329 km/h to 115 km/h in just 5 seconds, covering 273 meters—one of the longest braking distances in the entire championship. During this time, riders apply a load of 6.1 kg on the brake lever. The deceleration reaches 1.5 g, the Brembo brake fluid pressure hits 13 bar, and the carbon disc temperature rises to 520 °C.
Eleven for one
The last 4 MotoGP GPs at the Silverstone Circuit were won by Italian bikes: in even years, Ducati triumphed, in 2022 with Francesco Bagnaia and in 2024 with Enea Bastianini, while in odd years, Aprilia prevailed, in 2023 with Aleix Espargaró and last year with Marco Bezzecchi. Over the last 11 editions of the British GP, there have been 11 different winners: 5 Italians, 5 Spaniards, and the Frenchman Fabio Quartararo. The only common factor among all 11 of these riders is the use of the Brembo braking system.
The balance in the Bagger
The Silverstone Circuit also hosts the 4th round of the Harley-Davidson Bagger World Cup. In the first 6 races of the season, there have been 4 different winners from as many nationalities. Eric Granado leads the standings with a 2-point advantage over Oscar Gutierrez. All the Road Glides on the track in this competition use a Brembo braking system: T-Drive steel discs, finned aluminum monobloc calipers with four pistons of 34 mm diameter, and 18x18 radial master cylinders. Even without carbon, the braking is powerful, adjustable, and consistent.
King Kenny
Motorcycles equipped with Brembo brakes have won 33 editions of the British GP in the 500/MotoGP class, including 18 at Donington Park, which hosted the race from 1987 to 2009. Brembo's first victory at Silverstone came in 1983, thanks to Kenny Roberts riding the Yamaha of the Agostini team, which three years later became the first team to use Brembo's radial master cylinder—a solution that enhanced the effectiveness of lever action. Within a few years, the radial master cylinder became the "de facto" standard for racing motorcycles and is now featured on all high-performance street bikes.