Before 1977 the only British round of the Grand Prix motorcycle racing championship was the Isle of Man TT, which held championship status from the inaugural season in 1949 until 1976. The TT was for decades the most prestigious event on the calendar, but a growing safety controversy brought its championship status to an end. Multiple world champion Giacomo Agostini announced after the 1972 TT that he would never return, citing the 37-mile circuit's danger following the death of his friend Gilberto Parlotti during that event. Rider boycotts weakened the field at subsequent TTs, and after 1976 the Isle of Man was removed from the FIM championship calendar entirely.
The inaugural British motorcycle Grand Prix on the mainland took place at Silverstone Circuit in 1977, marking the start of a new era for the event. Silverstone hosted the race through 1986 before it relocated to Donington Park in 1987, a purpose-built circuit in Leicestershire that offered modern facilities and a dramatic layout. The event remained at Donington until 2009.
Silverstone reclaimed the British Grand Prix in 2010 following extensive circuit upgrades. The event's future was then thrown into uncertainty when Dorna Sports, the commercial rights holder of MotoGP, announced a deal to move the race to the proposed Circuit of Wales from 2015. When the developer indicated the new venue would not be ready until 2016, Donington Park was scheduled to host in 2015 as a stopgap, but pulled out in February 2015 citing financial difficulties. Silverstone stepped in the following day to confirm it would host the 2015 and 2016 events. Further delays to the Circuit of Wales project led Silverstone to extend its agreement through 2017, then sign a three-year contract covering 2018 to 2020.
The 2018 edition was cancelled due to adverse weather conditions, one of the rare occasions a modern MotoGP round has been abandoned. The race returned in 2019 and produced one of the closest finishes in MotoGP history: Alex Rins crossed the line just 0.014 seconds ahead of Marc Marquez, a margin that stands among the tightest in the premier class. The 2020 race was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
From the 2023 British motorcycle Grand Prix, the start and finish straight was relocated from the National Pits Straight to the Hamilton Straight, reflecting ongoing circuit development at Silverstone.
The British Grand Prix has carried many official title sponsors over the decades. Early editions bore tobacco branding — John Player from 1977 to 1978 and Marlboro from 1979 to 1985 — before the sport's gradual withdrawal from cigarette sponsorship in the 1990s. Shell Oils and Rothmans followed, with the race running without a title sponsor for several seasons in the 1990s. Cinzano held naming rights from 2000 to 2004. Subsequent sponsors included betandwin.com, GAS, bwin.com, AirAsia, Hertz, Octo, GoPro, and Monster Energy. From 2025 the race has carried Tissot branding.
The British Grand Prix occupies a central place in the history of two-wheeled motorsport. Its roots in the Isle of Man TT connect the modern championship to the sport's founding traditions, while the mainland race has hosted world championship battles across every era of Grand Prix racing. Silverstone's layout, with its high-speed corners and long straights, consistently produces genuine wheel-to-wheel racing and has been the scene of several decisive championship moments. The 2019 photo-finish between Rins and Marquez remains a landmark of the MotoGP era.