Silverstone drama as race leader celebrates too early on final lap, handing win to OnlyFans team

Silverstone

Silverstone drama as race leader celebrates too early on final lap, handing win to OnlyFans team

Huge drama in Moto2

Dan Ripley Global Editor

Professional F1 journalist and analyst

Monday 10 August 2026 13:10

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Let's spare a thought for Manuel Gonzalez today, after he suffered a nightmare final lap at Silverstone's Moto2 race on Sunday.

One month on from hosting the Formula 1 British Grand Prix, Silverstone welcomed the two-wheel version of elite grand prix racing as MotoGP rocked up to the British racing capital.

But it was the support Moto2 race that made big headlines after an unbelievable finish to a remarkable race.

Article continues under video

Manuel Gonzalez's unbelievable mistake

As the riders entered the final lap, series leader Manuel Gonzalez of the Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP team held the narrowest of leads over three riders.

But bizarrely as he crossed the line he leaned up off his bike and looked towards his crew across behind the pitwall to start celebrating.

Gonzalez thought the race had ended one lap early, and by the time he realised his error it was too late. As Daniel Holgado looked to take evasive action having been gaining in the slipstream of Gonzalez, he passed him on the right but clipping his exhaust in doing so.

This proved catastrophic to Gonazalez's race and left him unable to fight back during the last lap, as sparks flew from the back of his bike.

As a result Gonzalez limped home in 14th - his worst result of the season, but still with a healthy 42.5 point lead at the top of the championship.

Picking up the pieces of the last lap carnage was Filip Salac who held off Ivan Ortola to pick up his first ever win racing for the OnlyFans American Racing Team.

Gonzalez admits celebration error after race

Speaking after the race, Gonzalez admitted regret for the team through their official website, saying: "A few laps earlier, I’d been looking for the lap counter display at the finish line but couldn’t see it. So, I thought it was the last lap, and I passed Dani in the final sector by braking really hard in a few spots.

"But he was fighting really hard, too. I wasn’t 100 per cent sure if it was the last lap or not, so I crossed the finish line at full throttle, even though I was already celebrating a little bit.

"The bad luck was that Dani touched the sprocket and the exhaust, which is why I couldn’t fight anymore in the last lap.

"Anyway, we have to look on the bright side: Even though we struggled a bit today, we were one of the strongest packages on track and had a chance for victory.

"That’s why I’m not disappointed, I’m actually really happy with our overall performance. Still, I feel bad for the team that I made a mistake at the finish line."

Team boss Jurgen Lingg felt for Gonzalez, sympathising with him for losing track of the laps.

He added: "Manu once again put in a very smart race. It was a difficult challenge, as his competitors fought hard. In the end, he was able to come out on top, but unfortunately, he misjudged the number of laps.

"It’s hard to see that here, and even harder when you’re in the thick of a battle. When he celebrated too early, another rider hit his exhaust, causing it to bend and press against his rear wheel. That’s why he lost so many positions on the last lap.

"It was an unfortunate ending, but we have to focus on the positives: Both of our riders were very competitive again today; we continue to lead the team standings and hold first and third place in the rider standings."

This is what happened to @18manugonzalez after he CELEBRATED A LAP EARLY ?#BritishGP ?? pic.twitter.com/qOJaloPm3e
— MotoGP™? (@MotoGP) August 9, 2026

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Written by

Dan Ripley - Global Editor

I've been a massive F1 fan since the mid 1990s and continue to study the history of the sport long before that. As an experienced motor sport reporter covering F1, MotoGP and the LeMans 24 Hour race, being part of GPFans has allowed me to work with a diverse team with all sorts of different backgrounds in watching the sport and given me a greater appreciation of F1.

View full biography

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