Rock steady Rossi looks great value for Silverstone victory

British Grand Prix
BT Sport 2, 3.30pm Sunday

Marc Marquez had two crashes on Friday at Silverstone and the championship leader looked on the ragged edge of control as he broke the course record in claiming his fourth pole position in as many races.

The Spaniard was at the top of the times throughout the session, but late on it looked as through Valentino Rossi would storm to pole.

The evergreen nine-time world champion was well up on Marquez's times through the first three quarters of the lap, but lost out in the final sector.

Rossi always prioritises race pace over qualifying speed, so that bodes well for the Italian. Rossi currently lies 33 points behind Marquez in the championship and will be keen to capitalise on a weekend when his Yamaha has enjoyed an upturn in form.

Rossi's teammate, last year's winner Maverick Vinales, lines up fourth and can't be discounted, while home hero Cal Crutchlow showed his practice pace was no fluke by qualifying third.

However, The Doctor looks the best bet for the race. Even if Marquez is able to extract more speed from his Honda, he is doing so in a far more hair-raising way than steady Rossi.

On a demanding, bumpy track such as Silverstone, Marquez may be forced to dial down the speed to make sure he finishes and pick up more points towards his title defence.

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