MotoGP 2017: Grand Prix of Britain

Ducati talisman Andrea Dovizioso roared to victory in the 2017 MotoGP British Grand Prix on Sunday after defending World Champion Marc Marquez blew his engine with seven laps remaining. Dovizioso clinched his first place finish with Yamaha pair Maverick Vinales and Valentino Rossi following in second and third.

Dovizioso moved up to first in the standings and is nine points ahead of Marquez. He ended an eight-year drought at Silverstone, winning his first Moto GP British Grand Prix since 2009. Marquez's late retirement handed his pursuers new hope in making sure he doesn't add a fourth world championship to his collection, with the Spaniard dropping from first as a result.

Rossi was the leader for much of Sunday's meeting at Silverstone and only lost his perch near the race's crescendo, with Dovizioso continuing the best season of his career with a second successive win. The 31-year-old capitalized on Marquez's falter following a daring display in the British midlands. Rossi got a great start and was swiftly followed by Marquez, Vinales and Dovizioso, the three of whom remained on The Doctor's tail for the majority of the race.

Cal Crutchlow, Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa formed part of an outsiders' group that battled for seniority outside the main pack, but even they applied pressure on the podium places in a thrilling contest. Marquez's first retirement in more than three months came out of the blue, as he was forced to pull up at the end of the Hangar Straight after smoke busted out of his bike, making for major drama late on in the race. Victory in San Marino could make Dovizioso the first rider to seal three successive MotoGP wins since Lorenzo won four in a row during the 2015 campaign.

Lewis Hamilton wins Belgium Grand Prix

Mercedes Lewis Hamilton took a narrow victory over Sebastian Vettel Formula 1 Pirelli Belgian Grand Prix to slash the Ferrari driver’s championship lead from 14 to 7 points. Just 2.3 separated the title rivals at the chequered flag, as Daniel Ricciardo secured an unexpected podium for Red Bull with third place at Spa Francorchamps.

Hamilton did just what he needed to in his 200th Grand Prix as he scored his 58th career success, but it was an intense nip-and-tuck battle all the way, with Vettel never more than two seconds adrift throughout the 44 laps, and sometimes a lot closer than that. Kimi Raikkonen was fourth in the second Ferrari, the Finn having been given a 10-second stop-go penalty for ignoring yellow flags when the luckless Max Verstappen retired his Red Bull with power loss on Lap 8.

Valtteri Bottas finished a disappointed fifth for Mercedes, while Nico Hulkenberg scored his third sixth place of the year for Renault, followed home by the Haas of Romain Grosjean and the Williams of Felipe Massa. Esteban Ocon survived contact with Force India team mate Sergio Perez not once but twice in two separate clashes on the run down to Eau Rouge to take the flag in ninth, with Toro Rosso’s Carlos Sainz completing the top ten.

Behind them, Hulkenberg easily took sixth, but a mid-race change of strategy helped Grosjean to take seventh for Haas ahead of Massa, whose Williams fended off Ocon’s damaged Force India to the flag. Sainz salvaged 10th and a point for Toro Rosso, as Williams’ Lance Stroll led Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat, Renault’s Jolyon Palmer, McLaren’s Stoffel Vandoorne and Sauber Marcus Ericsson home. Perez’s car was withdrawn late in the race, joining McLaren’s Fernando Alonso, Verstappen and Sauber Pascal Wehrlein on the retirement’s list.

MotoGP 2017: Grand Prix of Czech Republic

A tactical masterstroke from Honda helped Marc Marquez to an emphatic victory in the MotoGP Czech Republic Grand Prix in Brno. On a wet track, Marquez was brought into the pits early to put on a softer tyre compound, and he was able to make massive gains on the rest of the field. Eventually he finished 12 seconds clear of team mate Dani Pedrosa in second place with Yamaha Maverick Vinales taking third.

The victory may prove vital in what has been a tight MotoGP season, with Marquez extending his lead to 14 points over Vinales in the race for the world championship; just 10 points had separated the top four in the standings heading into the battle at Brno. After a strong getaway from pole position, Marquez was overhauled by Jorge Lorenzo and found himself slipping back down the field in the early stages. He was clearly uncomfortable on the wet tyres.

Marquez was able to scythe through the field, who were toiling on the wet compound, and back to the head of the pack. As relayed by journalist Simon Patterson, the three-time world champion had quickly established a massive lead over every other rider. It meant that after a frantic beginning to the day; quickly the race looked to be over at the front, with Scott Redding falling back into the pack. In another boost for Honda, Marquez's team-mate, Pedrosa, moved into second spot.

When he started to pull clear of third place, the afternoon was beginning to look routine for the two Honda riders. Marquez, in particular, would have been pleased to see his title rivals—Vinales, Valentino Rossi and Andrea Dovizioso—out of the podium places. Indeed, it was Rossi who made for the most exciting viewing late in the race, with Marquez, Pedrosa and Vinales almost in a procession on their way to the finish line.