Manu Gonzalez explains Silverstone Moto2 celebration gaffe that cost him win

Moto2 star Manu Gonzalez admits he lost track of how many laps were left in the British Grand Prix after celebrating too early and losing the race.

The Intact GP rider was involved in a thrilling battle for victory with future Gresini Ducati MotoGP rider Dani Holgado in the closing stages of last Sunday’s Moto2 race at Silverstone.

Gonzalez made a bold move for the lead on Holgado into the Vale section of track on the penultimate lap, and made the overtake stick despite running wide.

But the Spaniard believed he was on the final lap and celebrated out of the final corner, which led to Holgado tagging the rear of his bike and breaking its exhaust.

“I wasn’t completely sure…”

Gonzalez ended up finishing in 14th due to the bike damage, with his championship lead reduced to 42.5 points.

Speaking to DAZN after the Silverstone Moto2 race, Gonzalez says he couldn’t find his usual lap number reference and got confused after looking at his dashboard.

“What’s clear is that I crossed the finish line thinking it was the last [lap], but I wasn’t entirely sure they’d given me the checkered flag either,” he said.

“I don’t know how to explain it.

“I’d been doing a couple of laps trying to spot the lap sign that’s usually there on the finish straight, and I couldn’t find it.

“And then, looking at my dashboard, I saw L1 on that penultimate lap.

“Also, battling so hard with Dani, part of me thought it was the last one, but I wasn’t completely sure.

“So, when I crossed the line, I didn’t throttle off, but I stood up to celebrate, and I heard them coming up really fast. They overtook me really fast.

"And right then, with the bad luck that Dani broke my exhaust, I couldn’t fight in that final lap. Because, even after celebrating, I was still right there in contention.”

The gaffe comes as Gonzalez looks to secure a ride for the 2027 season.

All options in MotoGP appear to have vanished, while his name is in contention for a Ducati World Superbike seat.

However, it appears that Franco Morbidelli is currently edging ahead as the favourite for that particular ride.

If he can’t find anything elsewhere, Gonzalez is likely to remain in Moto2 with Intact GP for another season.