Jorge Martin appears to be emerging as the man to beat thus far in 2024. Martin narrowly edged out Maverick Viñales by less than a tenth of a second in practice on day one of the US Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. However, Martin’s pace was record breaking; shattering the lap record by half a second. Marc Marquez also appears to be on the move up the table after finishing P3 in practice after a battle with Reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia.
Despite the early success Martin will need to carry his pace through the weekend. Martin has yet to show up on both Saturday and Sunday to secure maximum points on the weekend. With an 18 point lead over KTM Racing’s Brad Binder, Martin will look to break away from the pack in the points standings. Doing so will put the pressure to perform on the other Ducati riders; especially Francesco Bagnaia. With Martin and Bagnaia battling back and forth last year; they set the tone for 2024. Bagnaia currently sits 23 points behind in the championship race and looks to narrow that gap tomorrow in the Sprint Race.
Of note, rookie Pedro Acosta led the KTM riders finishing P5 in Practice. Brad Binder who sits in second place in the championship finished P14. A far cry from his form thus far this season.
Full Practice Results Below