MotoGP riders and Team Managers reflect on COTA Sprint Race – Moto2/3 QP TechTricks365

MotoGP 2025

Round Three – USA – COTA
Saturday Sprint Round-Up / Results

Marc Márquez – P1

“I was pushing a bit too much during lap one and came very close to a disaster. The track conditions were very different, and I had noticed it immediately on the long right-hander during lap one. The pace was slower compared to Practice, which made the situation more difficult; then I understood how to tackle these conditions and, without taking excessive risks, I pulled a gap and managed the situation. We’ll see about tomorrow, as we have to improve a couple of things: it’s going to be a long race and the warmup will be very useful to understand how to approach it, but I’m happy with today’s sprint race win.”

Alex Marquez – P2

“I’m very happy with this sprint race even though I’ll admit that I was expecting a bit more from the second group of riders behind Marc. We had a good pace with 6-7 seconds of margin over the second group. I managed to keep Pecco at bay over the race distance and it was a fun race: I learned a lot behind Marc, who is really strong at this track. At the start I was both good and lucky, and obviously tomorrow we’ll try for a repeat performance even though the track conditions have changed a lot in these two days and it’s not easy to adapt.”

Francesco Bagnaia – P3

“I got a good start and once I saw I was on the inside, I gave it a go and it went well. I’m happy about it, but I still need to work on my performance in the opening laps, because I got a 1.5secs gap from Alex (Márquez) in the early laps and that was too much. I was then able to lap with a similar pace to theirs, but I still need something more at the start in order to have a chance to battle for the win. We’re still working on bridging the gap and we’re making some progress. Tomorrow’s race is going to be a long one and I don’t think we’ll use the soft tyre as it wore out a lot today. We’ll do our best and we’ll try to battle with them.”

Fabio Di Giannantonio – P4

“I’m happy with today – it’s our best result of the year, along with the front row in Q2 this morning. After analyzing the data, we can see that I’m doing all the maneuvers correctly, but we need to fine-tune the electronic side of the bike. Unfortunately, the start cost me the chance to fight with the top guys, and I lost time making overtakes. Apart from that, I think we did a good race, we had the pace to stay with Bagnaia. It seems we’re going better and better, I can’t wait to race again. The goal for tomorrow is to have a good start and try to stay with the top guys, it would be super cool to be as close as possible to the top.”

Franco Morbidelli – P5

“It was a really tough Sprint, this morning I had completely different feeling than this afternoon in the Sprint, when I struggled and I had to manage the lack of feeling in the entry of the corner and braking. Moreover, there was a nice battle between me, Diggia, Acosta and Quartararo, but we missed the opportunity to fight in the podium group. Finally a P5 is good, we will try to get better tomorrow. The goal for Sunday is to analyze the data and find something that will help us having a strong race, allowing me to close the gap to the top riders.”

Fabio Quartararo – P6

“Today was great! This morning, I noticed we were more consistent, which was a step up from Argentina. Today I could give everything I had. I was feeling quite okay, and it was a really fun Sprint race. In straight braking we are quite okay. This is one of our strong points, and the front of my bike is good, so I was trying to use it to my advantage. But in Turn 15, where you have to brake on a lean angle, we really have to push the front. I made some mistakes, but I also had some good saves today. We are trying to work on the balance of the bike, so let’s see what we can do tomorrow.”

Pedro Acosta – P7

“A tough one. After a good qualifying we were having problems with the front tire but it’s something that a lot of riders are having. Let’s see tomorrow. It will be a long race and we’ll do the best we can. We have to make laps and get an understanding of what we need and what we can improve.”

Luca Marini – P8

“A super good day, especially this morning in Qualifying when I was able to make a really good lap. I was able to push the limit of the bike and really enjoy riding after a couple of changes when we look at what we had in Argentina – another step. I’m able to ride like I want, and we can make up ground in the entry of the corner which then helps in the middle and on exit. In the Sprint today I am happy with my result, but we had some vibrations which limited us to get closer to the top five. I think it won’t be as much of a problem in the long race on Sunday, which I am looking forward to because I think again, we can perform well and get closer. Thanks to everyone for their work, not just this weekend but leading up to this point as well. We keep working in this direction.”

Ai Ogura – P9

“Until this morning we were having a really tough time but, in the Sprint, I did quite well. The team did a great job. After the start I could gain a few positions and stay around the good riders and I learnt a lot of things from them and then, in the last part of the race, I could pass a few riders again. I think it was a good Sprint race and I gained my confidence back, which is very important for the Grand Prix tomorrow. I’m really happy about today and I’m sure tomorrow I can ride better, but I start from the back and I need to make sure I stay out of trouble in the first three corners. But it’s not only me, there’s many riders around, we’ll see.”

Marco Bezzecchi – P10

“We undoubtedly paid the price for Friday and our position on the grid. Not going through to Q2 by just 82 thousandths was a pity. This certainly conditioned the sprint race and it will condition the long race as well. In any case, compared with Friday, we improved greatly and we need to focus on this positive point to continue working ahead of Sunday. On this track, where the first part required a good flow, we are struggling a bit, as well as in the more mixed final sector.”

Fermin Aldeguer – P11

“I try to do my best in qualifying by making the most of Marc’s slipstream, but I made a small mistake and ended up last in Q2, which is still my best qualifying position to date. The sprint race was on the other hand an excellent one: we started well and we had the pace to battle for points, but unfortunately a coming together with Marini made cost me the front fairing as well as the left wing, and it was a whole lot different race from then on. Having said that, I’m happy: we need to have the same start tomorrow and make no mistakes.”

Brad Binder – P12

“Pretty difficult weekend here so far but the Sprint was definitely a bit better for us. I started to get more and more chatter so if we can try and make that go away for tomorrow then we can see what we’ll do. I want to make a clean start and have a clean race because today I was trying a bit too hard and this results in mistakes where you lose more than you are trying to gain. On the last lap I went deep into Turn 11 and the guys got me: if you’re not in 9th then it’s quite pointless anyway!”

Enea Bastianini – P13

“Qualifying was so-so and it’s something we need to work on for the future. The race was better and this is the way for us at the moment. It was not easy because I had some vibration from the rear of the bike from the third or fourth lap. I was trying to catch the group in front of me but it was too tricky today. We need to improve for tomorrow and see if we can make a step.”

Jack Miller – P14

“Overall, it wasn‘t a terrible day—the bike felt good, and the changes we made for the afternoon improved it even further. Unfortunately, at the start, I spun the rear tyre too much, and it kept spinning all the way to Turn 1, where I found myself caught in the chaos. From that moment until the checkered flag, it was a tough battle with several contacts, one of which broke my right wing. Then, I ran wide when I got caught in another rider‘s slipstream, so I decided to take a longer line to avoid trouble. It‘s a shame because my race pace was strong, and the setup changes we made are working in the right direction, which gives me confidence. We‘re getting closer step by step. Now, we need a strong start tomorrow to fight at the front.”

Alex Rins – P15

“I was struggling with stopping the bike. I did an acceptable start and went to P11. But then over the remaining laps I started going wide in corner 11 and 12. This prevented me from riding with a consistent pace. But the team has something in mind for tomorrow. Let’s see how it goes.”

Johann Zarco – P16

“Today wasn’t the best Saturday. Despite having better track conditions than yesterday, we had to push harder, and I couldn’t ride the bike the way I wanted. We need to figure out and fix a few things to improve the overall feeling. When I can control the bike, I know I can perform well. The positive thing is that I was able to fight during the Sprint. We’ll try again tomorrow, and we’ll keep working on building our confidence.”

Raul Fernandez – P17

“It’s a strange situation because I feel good with the bike and I feel we are strong, but I have to tell myself that I need to stay calm in critical moments. I didn’t manage the Qualifying well and I didn’t manage the Sprint well. But this is what I need to do – it’s simple, the bike is ready, the team is ready, I physically feel very ready and we are working well. The only thing is that I need to teach myself to stay calm as I made a real mistake in Qualifying today and it’s something I can’t explain and I can’t be happy with myself about. You make a mistake in Qualifying, you get a bad place on the grid, you have a bad start and then it’s difficult. But later, when I was calmer and alone, I could be focused and was fast. This is what I need to find from the start.”

Augusto Fernandez – P18

“It was a tough day, even more so because it was my first time on a dry track this weekend after the rain on Friday. My main focus is on gaining confidence with the M1, building it up session by session—or even lap by lap. There‘s a big difference between testing for development and actually racing in a Grand Prix weekend. I have to be patient, work on improving my speed consistently, and avoid mistakes. While I can‘t expect outstanding results right now, I need to maximise my track time, complete the race, and gather as much data as possible. So far, that‘s exactly what I‘m doing.”

Somkiat Chantra – P19

“This track is challenging for me, and the Sprint was tough. At the start, I tried to stay with the group, but I made a few mistakes on the first lap and lost some time. I fought to come back, but it was difficult to maintain the pace. Tomorrow, we’ll work harder and make improvements.”

Lorenzo Savadori – P20

“It was a rather difficult sprint race. After two laps, my shoulder was hurting. The main problem is that I am physically not back to 100% fitness with my shoulder still extremely inflamed from the injury I suffered in Argentina. We introduced some upgrades during the sprint race and testing them was important. We are still in a phase of fine tuning, so they aren’t entirely ready, but we are working on some interesting solutions that could help us take a further step forward.”

Maverick Viñales – DNF

“We made a change in Argentina and I feel good on the bike, and now that I’m faster we can understand even better where we can improve. I see clearly where the bike is strong and I’m positive and optimistic. I think I could have been top 6-7 in the Sprint and I tried the medium tire this morning and I really liked it. Unfortunately, we had a technical issue with rear vibration and I almost crashed twice. I thought it was better to bring the bike back in one piece, but I am riding well. We try again tomorrow.”

Joan Mir – DNF

“I am really frustrated with today. The crash was my mistake, I didn’t have any warnings during the race, and I had the pace, riding within our pace. The balance with the bike is good and I am enjoying riding it. Of course there is the side that is positive, we are fast, and we matched Bagnaia’s lap time in the race. We have made so much progress over the winter and now we need some more things to make that next step because we are now fighting in a different situation to the last years. Our time is coming from corner entry, we are in a good position in this part of the lap. Tomorrow we can be close in the long race.”

Team Managers

Massimo Meregalli – Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team Director

“The Saturday here in COTA was much better for our team than the Friday. The track time in FP2 this morning was crucial because it was our first fully dry session of the race weekend, and we had to get the dry set-up right. We then went straight into qualifying. Fabio did a really good job all day. He managed to go through Q1 into Q2 and then secured P11 on the grid. He had a brilliant start in the Sprint, which put him in a position that allowed him to pull away with the front runners. He rode at the limit and even went a little over the limit at times, but he was able to save it and avoid a crash. I think that the fans will have enjoyed seeing him battle and put in overtakes, and this sixth place is a good reward for the effort he and the team put in. Álex also had a good start, and he climbed up to eleventh, but he was not able to maintain the position. He was stuck behind a few riders, and it took him a lot of time to overtake them. Once he did, his lap times improved a lot immediately. We will analyse today’s data and see what we can tweak to prepare for tomorrow’s 20-lap Race.”

Davide Brivio – Trackhouse Aprilia Team Principal

“At the end it was another great race from Ai, a great recovery from a difficult morning where we only qualified 18th and then he managed to have a great race and recover to ninth position, scoring one point in the Sprint. I think this was another great performance by him. Thanks very much to Ai for his job! For him, the Sprint race helped to get his confidence back after the crash of this morning and to find some pace and he did well. Raul had the potential to do a better race, we think. He just had a difficult start, made some mistakes in the first laps and then when he got the pace in the second half of the race, the speed was good. But then it was too late so, we will take all this information into the race tomorrow, try to make some adjustments where it’s possible and then let’s see tomorrow.”

Gino Borsoi – Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP Team Director

“I can‘t hide my disappointment because, after Jack‘s strong qualifying performance, I expected a more competitive Sprint Race, especially given Fabio Quartararo‘s excellent showing, which proved that the YZR-M1 is competitive on this track. Jack had similar pace to Quartararo all weekend, so our expectations were high. Unfortunately, a difficult start and a tough first-lap contact put Jack‘s race on the back foot. Then, in his effort to recover, he made a mistake that ended any chance of fighting for points. It‘s a shame because his pace in the second half of the race showed that he had the potential for a strong result. Now, we are looking for a comeback in tomorrow‘s GP, where a good start will be crucial. As for Augusto, we can‘t ask too much of him at this stage. Right now, the priority is to help him build confidence with the bike, which he has ridden very little, and primarily in test sessions focused on development rather than outright performance. He has done an excellent job so far, avoiding mistakes and gaining valuable experience that will be useful in the future.”

Fabiano Sterlacchini – Aprilia Racing

“It was a complicated sprint race, but with some positive notes. Looking at Marco’s pace, a better result would be feasible with a more favourable starting position. This was a Saturday conditioned by the difficulties of the first day, but Marco’s pace was not bad at all. We’ll continue working with him to solve a few problems for a good start and a better race on Sunday. We are taking advantage of Lorenzo’s participation to test some upgrades we’re working on. Ai Ogura, on the other hand, continues to prove that he is an outstanding rookie, because he surprised everyone once again this time.”

Aki Ajo – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager

“Our work is never done but I have to say that the higher grip here this weekend is giving us some positive feelings and our performance in qualifying was quite good. The situation is not solving all the points that we need to improve but at least it is a bit clearer and a bit more promising for us. We cannot be happy with the results from the Sprint however and there were a couple of issues – like with Maverick – that we need to understand but in general we are making small steps and the information we are gathering is helping us. We’ll look for more progression in the race tomorrow.”

Nicolas Goyon – Red Bull KTM Tech3 Team Manager

“It was a bit of a frustrating sprint for Maverick Viñales who experienced some sudden vibrations while fighting for 7th against Pedro Acosta, and had to retire. However, we have to see the glass half full because he was fighting in the front group after taking a good start, which was our target, so that gives us confidence heading to Sunday’s race, although we need to figure out what happened today. Enea Bastianini did a decent race with a P13 finish during which he learnt a lot. Once he has put everything together, he can deliver a strong race on Sunday, so we will see. One of the targets this weekend was for both riders to improve qualifying, which was achieved, so this is a positive step forward for us.”

MotoGP Sprint Race Report

Stateside Tissot Sprint glory went the way of Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) – but not without a decent slice of drama and fireworks thrown in along the way. Marc eventually beat brother Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) by less than a second in Austin to keep up his 100 per cent victory record in 2025. After leading on the first lap after a great start, Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) brought home a bronze medal to set us up beautifully for Sunday.

The opening lap of the Sprint was a corker. Bagnaia launched away superbly from sixth place on the grid to grab the holeshot up the hill into Turn 1. Marc Marquez bit straight back at Turn 2 to retake the lead from his teammate, but at Turn 3, it was Pecco doing the overtaking again. Game on…. It didn’t take long before Marquez decided to pounce back at Turn 7.

Marc Marquez leading Bagnaia and Alex Marquez early on but at Turn 17 Marc’s Sprint very nearly came to a premature end. An almighty rear-end slide led to the six-time MotoGP Champion getting bucked out of the saddle which saw him quickly shuffled back to third.Bagnaia and the Marquez brothers were locked together on the exit of Turn 19 and into Turn 20, the final corner, Marc Marquez passed both to retake the lead, and little brother then pushed Pecco further back to third.

That was some opening lap. But after hitting the front again and getting into a rhythm, Marc Marquez started to build a gap to Alex Marquez. It was six-tenths on Lap 3, as Bagnaia lost touch with the top two. The Italian had Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) swarming all over his rear tyre before the Frenchman had a huge moment on entry to Turn 15, which allowed Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) to slide through. Now, Quartararo was in a VR46 sandwich, with Fabio Di Giannantonio close astern in sixth.

On Lap 5 of 10, Marc Marquez’s advantage had shrunk from just under a second to four-tenths. That did rise back up to six-tenths on the next lap though, as Pecco found the pace to try and chase down Alex.

Meanwhile, a ferocious battle was unfolding between the two VR46 Ducatis and Quartararo. The trio exchanged fourth with four laps to go as the Yamaha star dug deep to try and cling onto a chance of finishing fourth.

With two laps to go, Marc Marquez’s lead was up to 1.4s, while Alex Marquez was still holding Bagnaia at bay by just over a second.

However, Alex had now reeled in Marc. The difference at the last lap board down to seven-tenths…

Marc Marquez held firm to pick up his third Tissot Sprint win on the bounce, with Alex Marquez continuing his P2 streak.

Bagnaia claimed an important P3, just under two seconds away from his team-mate, but happier with his feeling on the bike than he had been across the opening two rounds.

After a phenomenal mid-race scrap, Di Giannantonio won the fight for fourth, with Morbidelli keeping Quartararo behind him as the former team-mates clinched ffith and sixth respectively – a top effort from the Yamaha star.

Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) collected seventh as the lead KTM on Saturday.

Luca Marini (Honda HRC Castrol) earned two Sprint points with a hard-earned P8. That was a great ride from the Italian who flew the HRC flag in the points after team-mate Joan Mir crashed out from the top nine early on.

The final Sprint point went the way of rookie Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) after a great late battle with Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) and Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing).

Jack Miller had qualified well but ran very wide early on which ruined his race.

MotoGP COTA Sprint Race Results

COTA MotoGP Qualifying Times

Moto2

It’s one win apiece in Moto2 this season for Championship leader Manuel Gonzalez (Liqui Moly Intact GP) and key rival Jake Dixon (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team), but the former had made a clean sweep of qualifying so far. Dixon turned the tables in Texas to take his first pole of the year though and it’s Gonzalez he denied to set up another showdown – the #18 even heading through Q1 too.

Third goes to Barry Baltus (Fantic Racing LINO SONEGO) as he took his first front row, and he was on provisional pole until late on too. A late crash, however, means he’ll need to be reviewed and passed fit before the race.

Moto2 Q1

It was mission accomplished for Gonzalez and by a monumental margin as he headed through with a gap of eight tenths in hand. David Alonso (CFMoto Power Electronics Aspar Team) was next up as he continues making steps in Moto2, and Filip Salač (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) and Deniz Öncu (Red Bull KTM Ajo) completed the graduates to Q2.

That left home hero Joe Roberts (OnlyFans American Racing) losing out, just missing the cut.

Moto2 Q2

Baltus was leading the way until the very end, with Zonta van den Goorbergh (RW-Idrofoglia Racing GP) in provisional second too. They both got shuffled back by that last dash launch at glory from Dixon and Gonzalez, but the Belgian and Dutch riders take P3 and P4 respectively.

Aron Canet (Fantic Racing LINO SONEGO) slots into fifth ahead of a huge step forward in Moto2 qualifying for Alonso, who tookP6 to complete the second row as top rookie.

Tony Arbolino (BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2), Marcos Ramirez (OnlyFans American Racing), Salač and Öncu complete the top ten.

Senna Agius will start from 15th place on the 28-rider grid.

Senna Agius – P15

“Today we’ve improved from this morning, but in qualifying, I made too many mistakes and lost a few tenths here and there out there. Anyway, the race is tomorrow, so we have to stay calm and analyse a bit what happened. What’s more important is that we ride well on Sunday, do our best and score as many points as possible. For sure we will give our all in the race.”

COTA Moto2 Qualifying Times

Moto2 Championship Standings

Moto3

David Muñoz (LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP) put in a late charge to pole position at the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas, denying rookie sensation Maximo Quiles (CFMoto Valresa Aspar Team) an unbelievable debut pole by just 0.110. Joel Kelso (LEVELUP – MTA) completes the front row, having come from Q1.

Muñoz started from pitlane last time out after a penalty so flips his fortunes 180. Quiles, meanwhile, has one single FP2 session in the dry at COTA – and actually, one single session of dry World Championship action – before nearly taking his first pole position. He was too young to be allowed to race in the first two GPs of the year.

Moto3 Q1

Joel Kelso headed rookie Guido Pini (LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP), Dennis Foggia (CFMoto Valresa Aspar Team) and Stefano Nepa (SIC58 Squadra Corse) in the graduation zone, with one surprising name not making it through being that of Ryusei Yamanaka (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSi), who’ll have some work to do on Sunday.

Moto3 Q2

The fairytale was alive for Quiles until right at the end of the session, when pretty much the last fast lap on track was that of Muñoz – and the red sectors kept coming. The #64 crossed the line to take that pole position from the rookie, hoping to use it to bounce back from that pitlane start in Argentina as he looks to gain some traction.

Given Quiles’ form so far – having never raced at COTA before and making his Moto3 outright debut here after missing Thailand and Argentina due to being too young – maybe the more veteran riders will need to find that traction pretty quick…

Joel Kelso secured the final spot on the front row.

Joel Kelso – P3

“It wasn’t easy, but I found a way to put in a good lap. Everyone was crashing, so I had to be smart. Tomorrow’s race will be unpredictable; we’ll have to manage grip and tyres, but the goal remains victory.”

Championship leader Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) slots into a solid fourth ahead of Foggia and Luca Lunetta (SIC58 Squadra Corse).

Rookie Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo) impressed again in P7, ahead of Nepa, Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing) and Matteo Bertelle (LEVELUP – MTA), whose pole run comes to an end in P10 after two crashes.

Young Kiwi Cormac Buchanan will start from 15th on the grid while Jacob Roulstone qualified in 23rd place on his return from injury.

Jacob Roulstone – P23

“Difficult second day for us. It was not easy to prepare for the first time-attacks I have had in a while with not much dry track time this weekend, but I am looking forward to tomorrow’s race. It has been in a while, so I just want to go out there and give my best on track!”

COTA Moto3 Qualifying Times

Moto3 Championship Standings

2025 MotoGP Calendar