Marc Marquez recovered from an early FP1 crash to lead day one of the US Grand Prix practice sessions. Marquez was seemingly unfazed by day one’s activities as he continued his run of dominance securing another pole position for the races this weekend. Marquez has won every race thus far this year and clearly has shown no signs of slowing down. He led qualifying on tenth ahead of Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) and in third his brother Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing).
Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo) was in no mans land down in P6 which raises questions as to what’s happened to his championship contending form. He has more experience on this Ducati platform than Marquez yet Marquez continues to out perform him. Bagnaia is currently 31 points behind in the championship fight and needs to mount a defense in the sprint race to cut into Marc Marquez’s lead.
Words from the Ducati Lenovo Riders
Marc Márquez (#93 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 1st (74 points); Qualified P1
“We arrive in Austin after two practically perfect weekends, especially the first in Thailand. COTA is a track where I have always managed to be fast, even last year when I was here for the first time on the Ducati. A physically demanding track and in terms of riding too where I have won a lot. We must stay focused, not make mistakes, take care of the details and work hard with the whole Team to be competitive”.
Francesco Bagnaia (#63 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 3rd (43 points); Qualified P6
“The atmosphere in Austin is always special. A very long track, one of the most demanding on the calendar both physically and in terms of riding, with 20 corners. In 2023 I scored a nice win in the Sprint, while last year I have struggled more. In Argentina we scored two solid placings, but we weren’t as perfect and competitive as we want. We need to continue working with the Team to find good riding feelings again”.
Qualifying Results from Circuit of the Americas