The Aprilia rider pipped championship leader Bagnaia on the line by 0.215 seconds after an enthralling last-lap battle on slick tyres as rain fell in parts of the Silverstone track.
Espargaro made his decisive move on the run into the first part of the Maggotts complex on the final tour, slicing through on Bagnaia to score his first win of the season.
But Espargaro says that move was the result of him almost highsiding off his RS-GP at Farm curve earlier in the lap, having anticipated being able to make his move into the following Village corner.
“I was a lot faster in corners two and three, so my plan was to overtake Pecco in two and three,” Espargaro said.
“But in corner two, preparing to go on the outside of Pecco, I did a highside. I was very close to crashing, and I lost ground.
“Then I was focused on trying to recover on him, and in the last corner of last year’s circuit [Woodcote] Pecco has a lot less traction than me.
“So, I gained a lot of time there. And I knew that in the first right [Copse] he lost traction, in the second one [Maggotts] with more temperature on the right-hand side of the tyre, he will have even less acceleration.
“So, I was super committed, I braked very late.”
Source: Autosport