Marco Bezzecchi has been cleared to ride at this weekend’s Qatar Airways Grand Prix of Great Britain after passing medical checks at Silverstone on Thursday, ending the layoff caused by a broken collarbone at the German Grand Prix. The Aprilia Racing rider was declared fit following an assessment at the circuit, according to the official MotoGP announcement.
Bezzecchi fractured his left collarbone in a heavy crash during qualifying at the Sachsenring, where he had arrived as the 2026 championship leader. He underwent successful surgery soon afterwards and missed both the Tissot Sprint and the main race in Germany, a round won by Marc Marquez for his 10th victory at the circuit. MotoGP confirmed that the Italian then tested his fitness at Misano before the paddock assembled at Silverstone for the first race after the summer break.
The number 72 returns to action in fourth place in the standings, 22 points behind his Aprilia teammate Jorge Martin in a title fight that the series says is covered by just 24 points across the top five after 11 rounds. Bezzecchi’s clearance restores the factory Aprilia pairing that has led much of the season’s running, and it removes the main uncertainty in the team’s garage for the weekend.
Silverstone carries particular significance for Bezzecchi. It was the scene of his first victory for Aprilia in 2025, the year he joined the Noale factory squad, and he now returns to a venue where he has already stood on the top step. The circuit’s high-speed changes of direction make it one of the more physically demanding tracks on the calendar, which is why the Misano test and Thursday’s medical checks mattered so much. Bettista’s British Grand Prix title-fight preview set out how compressed the contest is before the restart.
The weekend also features a reshuffled grid. Pol Espargaró has been confirmed to replace Maverick Viñales for the British round, and Iker Lecuona, who stepped in after Aldeguer was ruled out, continues as the replacement for the injured Fermín Aldeguer at Gresini. Both absentees are therefore covered for the opening race of the second half of the season.
Bezzecchi’s fitness breakthrough arrives at a moment when points are at a premium. The German round showed how quickly the order can shift: Marquez’s win moved him up to third, while Ogura sits second behind Martin, and Di Giannantonio keeps an independent-team entry in the leading group. A single blank weekend, like the one Bezzecchi was forced to sit out, can reshape the whole picture.
Bettista’s German Grand Prix report recorded how Marquez’s 10th Sachsenring win lifted him into the top three behind Martin and Ogura. Bezzecchi was the only member of the leading group to leave Germany with no points at all, and the 22-point deficit he carries into Silverstone is a direct consequence of that lost weekend. The championship still has 11 race weekends to run, which leaves time to recover but also places a premium on every remaining round.
The medical verdict means the Aprilia rider can take part in Friday practice as planned, with the sprint on Saturday and the main race on Sunday. He will aim to close part of the 22-point gap to Martin, with the second half of the championship opening at the same circuit where he recorded his breakthrough win with the Noale factory.
