Six things to keep an eye on at Silverstone this weekend as MotoGP returns to Britain

After a five-week summer break, MotoGP returns to action this weekend, as the home run begins in the race for the world title.

The first destination for the series as it resumes competition is Silverstone, as the world-famous circuit once again plays host to the BritishGP.

With seven different winners from the last seven MotoGP races around this track, it is anyone’s guess as to who will be standing on top of the podium come Sunday afternoon.

This therefore, looks set to be a fascinating weekend that could yet play a pivotal role in the destination of the championship at the end of the season.

So with that in mind, we’ve taken a look at six things viewers ought to keep an eye out for from MotoGP’s visit to the British Isles this weekend.

Last time out in Assen, defending champion Fabio Quartararo made the first major mistake of his otherwise near flawless defence of his title.

A poorly-timed attempt at an overtake on title rival Aleix Espargaro saw Quartararo force both off-track and into the gravel, and despite initially re-joining the race, Quartararo eventually crashed out for his first DNF of the season.

Subsequently, it was confirmed that due to the way he impeded Espargaro, the Frenchman will now have to complete a long lap penalty loop at Silverstone, as punishment for that move, which raises an intriguing questions about how he approaches that punishment.

With the race only 20 laps – the shortest of any on the calendar – there is an argument that Quartararo should be taken his penalty early, giving him as much time as possible to fight back through the field.

Alternatively, the way Quartararo dominated this race last year, comfortably taking victory without any sort of threat, the Yamaha rider may look to quickly