Following the traditional four-week summer break, the FIM MotoGP™ World Championship competitors are heading back to the racetrack. The Michelin Motorsport teams are also back in action, ready for what promises to be an exciting second half of the season.
Built on a former Royal Air Force base, Silverstone Circuit enjoys a prime geographical location, around one hour south of Birmingham and 90 minutes north of London. Its grandstands can accommodate up to 160,000 spectators. The original circuit was created in 1947 by a group of motorsport enthusiasts, before hosting its first motorcycle Grand Prix in 1977.
Today, Silverstone measures 5.9 km and features eight left-hand and ten right-hand corners. The longest circuit on the calendar, it is also one of the fastest. Its numerous straights, some of which are up to 770 metres long, allow the bikes to approach 340 km/h, while the sequences of very high-speed corners place significant demands on the tyres.
Resurfaced in 2019, the asphalt provides a medium level of grip and is relatively low in abrasiveness. Tyre wear is therefore fairly easy to manage, but the heavy braking phases place considerable stress on the front tyre. At the rear, hard acceleration and prolonged periods on the throttle subject the tyre to high and repeated loads.
The main unknown remains the weather. Sunshine, temperatures and rainfall can change rapidly in this region, even at the height of summer. The Michelin Motorsport teams have nevertheless prepared for every eventuality, taking particular account of the change of date for the Grand Prix, which was held during the second half of May in 2025.
Piero Taramasso, Michelin Two-Wheel Motorsport Manager:
“Last year, we faced relatively low track temperatures, with 24°C during the Tissot Sprint and 28°C for the Grand Prix. Given the high temperatures that have affected Europe for several weeks, and considering that August is generally warmer than May, we decided to move from two to three front tyre options in order to cover a broader range of conditions. The compounds available are the same as those used last year. At the rear, however, the Soft option has evolved, with increased stiffness to better cope with potentially higher temperatures. The Medium, meanwhile, retains the technical specifications of the tyre used last year.
“These adjustments do not present any particular difficulty, as we know Silverstone Circuit extremely well and have a large amount of data that enables us to fine-tune our tyre allocation very precisely. Our partners will therefore be able to use Friday to evaluate different front/rear combinations ahead of the weekend’s races.
“Our objective remains to provide the right tyre at the right time. We believe the specifications selected from our MotoGP tyre catalogue are perfectly suited to Silverstone’s characteristics and to the conditions we could encounter. They should enable the riders to exploit the full potential of their bikes and, why not, set new records.”
For the 2026 Qatar Airways British Grand Prix, Michelin’s partners will be able to choose from three MICHELIN Power Slick specifications for the front wheel, with symmetric Soft, Medium and Hard compounds. At the rear, the Soft and Medium tyres will allow riders to prioritise either a higher level of grip or greater consistency of performance over time. The rear tyres will be asymmetric, with the right-hand side of the tread reinforced to meet the demands of the greater number of corners in that direction.
In the event of rain, Michelin’s partners will have access to the MICHELIN Power Rain range, available with the same specifications, in Soft and Medium compounds only.
In 2025, Fabio Quartararo set the all-time circuit record during qualifying, securing pole position with a lap time of 1’57.233.
The French rider became the seventh different pole-sitter in seven editions of the Grand Prix held at Silverstone on Michelin tyres. Will the scenario be repeated this year? Will the rider who tops the timesheets in qualifying become the eighth different pole-sitter in eight editions?
Race weekend schedule
The weekend will begin on Friday, 7 August with a Free Practice session in the morning, followed by Practice in the afternoon, which will determine the ten riders qualifying directly for Q2.
On Saturday, 8 August, a final Free Practice session will precede qualifying (Q1, which will select two additional riders, followed by Q2), setting the starting grid. The 10-lap Tissot Sprint will get underway at 17:00. On Sunday, 9 August, the 20-lap Grand Prix will start at 14:00.
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