The Yamaha rider, despite hurting his ankle in a heavy crash during practice, romped to his fifth win of the 2021 campaign to edge ever closer to that first world title.
Now 65 points clear of his nearest rival Joan Mir, the reigning world champion admits his title defence is now virtually over after he battled through tyre dramas on his Suzuki to finish ninth.
His Suzuki team-mate Alex Rins celebrated his first podium of a difficult 2021 season in second, while Aleix Espargaro fended off a last-lap attack from Ducati’s Jack Miller to claim Aprilia’s first podium of the modern MotoGP era.
With six manufacturers represented inside the top six of a premier class race for the time since 1972, the 2021 British GP highlighted just how competitive MotoGP is in this current era.
In the latest Tank Slappers Podcast, Autosport’s Lewis Duncan and Motorsport.com’s Oriol Puigdemont discuss the 2021 British GP and how the championship is shaping up as it enters its final stages.
They also discuss the latest rider market news, with Andrea Dovizioso set to make his MotoGP return with the outgoing Petronas Sepang Racing Team at Misano ahead of a full-time return in 2022.