MotoGP riders reflect on opening day of practice at COTA – Moto2/3 Reports/Results TechTricks365

MotoGP 2025

Round Three – USA – Circuit Of The Americas – Friday

Marc Márquez – P1

“The day didn’t start of the best way: maybe I pushed a bit too much and the track was really wet; the bike ended up aquaplaning and I crashed at turn two. I was a bit more careful in the rest of the session and still managed to finish third. The important thing is the afternoon result and we’re happy. We must wait to have a clearer picture, but at the moment, the feeling is good.”

Fabio Di Giannantonio – P2

“This week, I’ve been able to train more normally, and I feel better on the bike – better than I expected. It was a really positive day in terms of results and confidence. When the track was wet, I struggled a little to find my rhythm, but once it dried, the feeling improved. We have a strong potential and in dry conditions we can be even faster. The energy in our team is impressive, there’s always a good atmosphere. We are also very excited about the livery we will use on Sunday. The goal is to fight for the pole position, we are there.”

Franco Morbidelli – P3

“We had a solid start this Friday, and we’ve been fast throughout the day. Despite the tricky conditions, we managed to progress in some areas, and the feeling is already good. This has been our best Friday so far, and I am very happy, especially given how challenging the day was. The team did a great job today, and that will be very useful both for the Sprint and for the race. Now the goal is to confirm our potential and to fight for the top positions on the grid, which will be crucial for both races.”

Alex Marquez – P4

“This was surely the best Friday of the season. It was important to find the right feeling in every condition and especially to not make any mistakes: we managed to do so, we secured Q2 comfortably and now we can focus on doing well also on Saturday. There’s a lot of work to do, especially with regards to tyres in dry conditions, but we must be happy and stay focused. Tomorrow will be an interesting day, and surely a challenging one for everyone.”

Fermin Aldeguer – P5

“I’m very happy because this was my first time in wet conditions, and I felt good. I was expecting a wet Practice session, but the track was very different, and I was able to ride without thinking too much about the bike also in these conditions, in a more instinctive way. I made a few mistakes with the dry track, but the important thing was to secure the direct seed to Q2 to turn our attention on our race pace and track references. The start will be crucial here, so qualifying will basically be the most important session of the weekend.”

Jack Miller – P6

“It was a great Friday—challenging and tricky, but really fun. Unfortunately, in my last flying lap, I started perfectly but then found Ai Ogura a couple of seconds ahead of me. He started making mistakes, which slowed him down, and when I caught him, I couldn‘t pass him immediately. Maybe I could have done better, but the important thing is that I made it into Q2 without too much trouble. I‘m also really happy with how I felt on the YZR-M1. Since I had never ridden it in the wet before, I wasn‘t sure what to expect, but I felt comfortable both on the wet track and as it dried. That gives me confidence for tomorrow‘s qualifying and the Sprint race.”

Maverick Viñales – P8

“We had a better feeling after the race in Argentina, so I was really excited to jump back on the bike here at COTA, especially when I saw that we were going to have some time in the wet, because the bike has always worked pretty well in these conditions. I liked the feeling directly this morning, so it was exciting. We had mixed conditions in the afternoon, so we were careful, until we needed to go for the time attacks. I feel like the balance on the bike has become better and better, and I feel more comfortable. And we know that I ride better and I am able to do quick laps when I have all this put together,  so let’s see how it goes tomorrow. We could see the power of the bike today out of T11 and T20, but we are also still lacking corner speed, and we really need to understand this part. Anyway, we need to be happy with today, and we will give our maximum tomorrow in qualifying.”

Joan Mir – P9

“Today is a good day for us. We were able to be strong in the wet, in the mixed conditions and when it was dry. Especially in these conditions you have to push from the first exit because you never know when the conditions might get worse, so we were able to be fast and improve each time. We have some more margin to extract from the bike if the conditions continue to improve tomorrow. It’s been a good start to the year, and we are able to maintain our position at many different tracks, which is a good first step to have made. Tomorrow, we need to extract the maximum from Qualifying and then we can be in the mix in the Sprint and on Sunday.”

Francesco Bagnaia – P10

“Generally speaking, it was a positive Friday and I’m happy with the feeling I had especially in wet conditions, where normally is takes a little bit of time for me to get up to speed. The conditions during practice were not ideal, and I tried to go with the soft tyre at the front-end but didn’t manage to make the most of the situation. We’re in the top ten and that’s the important thing. They did a great job with the new asphalt, which is much more levelled and allows us to push very hard.”

Fabio Quartararo – P11

“It was a strange afternoon. In the end, I didn’t do very many laps and unfortunately we missed Q2 by 0.120s. I think we could have done better, but today it’s like this. The goal of tomorrow is, of course, to be in Q2. It might not be easy, but I will give it my best effort. Let’s see tomorrow, in fully dry conditions, if we are able to go fast.”

Marco Bezzecchi – P13

“It was a difficult Friday for me. Unfortunately, we had some trouble in FP1, so we lost a bit of time. The crash certainly didn’t help either, as it came at a time when I honestly didn’t expect it, since I wasn’t pushing to the limit. In the afternoon, during the practice session, I felt better. We did a good job and improved lap after lap, but it wasn’t enough. The only good thing about this poor luck is that Q1 will give us the chance to get a few more laps in and to figure out the best setup.”

Ai Ogura – P14

“Very tough conditions today, especially in the morning. I was not riding really well in the wet but, in the afternoon, with the slick tyre I was quite ok. But in the last part of the session, I did a few mistakes and it was the best moment to make the lap time and that’s exactly, where I missed out. It wasn’t a great day, but tomorrow it’s going to be dry and sunny, so I’m sure we can do better.”

Luca Marini – P15

“In the wet the feeling with the bike was good. With the new tarmac here, it’s still settling in so there was some spinning on the straight but it improved when the rain stopped. They’ve done a good job here with the bumps and the grip, so we need to be satisfied with that. I think I went out a little bit too early on the slick because I struggled to get temperature in and wasted some time. At the end of the day I almost lost the front on my last lap, so we could have been a bit closer to the top ten. Q1 will be close like always, especially with Zarco and Binder.”

Raul Fernandez – P16

“It was a really positive day. First of all because we confirmed the way we took in Argentina is a good one and I feel good with the bike. In these kinds of conditions, you also need to be lucky – in the last two laps, I started with a red helmet, but then ran into the yellow flag and lost everything. On the last lap, I made a mistake so, it was positive, yet the result doesn’t help but I’m just at 0.4 from Q2. I’m happy with the bike, we found the correct way to go and I feel that I can brake like I want. We only need to work a little bit more for tomorrow on the electronics but, for the rest, we are ready.”

Alex Rins – P17

“It was a tricky day in terms of conditions, especially this afternoon. This morning the grip was unbelievable. I think nobody expected to have this grip in the wet. But this afternoon it was easy to make a mistake on slick tyres with the wet patches on the track. But I think we chose the right moment to change tyres. I jumped back on the bike and went out on track. I was going at my pace and going faster and faster. In the end, I couldn’t get a place for Q2, so we need to keep working and keep giving our 100% on track and outside the track. Let’s see if tomorrow we have the chance to ride in dry conditions in the morning and take some profit from it and understand the set-up better.”

Enea Bastianini – P18

“We are making progress, slowly, but we are. To be honest, the start in the wet conditions was not bad, the feeling was quite good. When the track dried, it became more difficult for me, in a similar scenario than the past two rounds. We need to improve for tomorrow for sure, make some adjustments on the bike to help me feel better, and I think that we can try getting more power with the electronics, because I was wheeling a lot in the straights, and I felt a lot of spinning on the rear tyre in the straights too, so hopefully we can improve these heading to Saturday.”

Augusto Fernandez – P19

“I‘m happy with my first day back in a race weekend. This GP is mainly about regaining my rhythm. I haven‘t done many tests on this bike, so I still lack some explosiveness, which was evident in the final minutes of Practice when everyone pushed to the limit. However, I was strong in the wet, which was a pleasant surprise given that it was my first time riding the M1 in those conditions. In the afternoon, I did my best while avoiding unnecessary risks: although I‘m here as Miguel‘s replacement for a real race weekend, I‘m also continuing my work as a Yamaha test rider.”

Johann Zarco – P20

“It was a good day overall, except for the crash at the end. This morning, we made solid progress, testing different things on the bike, and I’m happy with the speed. Even in the dry conditions, we were in control and looking strong. On my fast lap, though, I crashed after going over a patch in the asphalt. Tomorrow, we’ll need to push hard in Q1, but I believe we’ve got a good chance to do well in the Sprint, that’s the goal. I’m happy to be competitive and enjoy the track with this bike. We’ve got the potential.”

Somkiat Chantra – P21

“The morning session was under wet conditions, and it was my first time with the MotoGP bike here. At the beginning was difficult because this is a very demanding track. But then lap by lap and especially in the afternoon, things were getting better and I felt I was improving. Tomorrow we’ll try to take a step forward”.

Lorenzo Savadori – P22

“Learning this track was truly complex due to the abnormal conditions. In the morning we were in the wet and in the afternoon it was semi-dry. My shoulder hurts a bit, but we knew that this would be a problem, considering the fact that the sub-dislocation is rather recent. This is an extremely physical track and I’m clearly battling with my shoulder at the moment. We are also testing some new elements that have shown positive signs, so we’ll continue with our comparisons throughout the weekend.”

Jorge Martin

“I wanted to spend a bit of time with the team and that’s why I came to Austin. I’ll tackle this weekend with a different attitude – trying to listen and understand what Marco and Lorenzo are saying and trying to provide my own contribution. The important thing now is to stay close to the team and to watch them work. I am extremely happy to be here, because this also means that my return is getting closer and closer. These weeks have not been easy. It was the most complicated injury I’ve ever had to recover from, but we need to look forward. I can’t wait to get back in the saddle.”

Team Managers

Paolo Bonora – Aprilia Racing

“This was not a simple day due to problems that we are still analysing, and that’s why Marco didn’t get many laps in during FP1. It will be fundamental to give the riders the best possible bike on Saturday in order to ensure that they go through to Q2. Unfortunately, Lorenzo had to learn a new circuit in wet conditions and at less than 100% fitness. It was a surprise and a great pleasure to see Jorge back in the garage with us – a small step towards his return to the track.”

Davido Brivio – Trackhouse Aprilia Team Principal

“Today was of course a very difficult day. There were some worries this morning as Ai never rode the bike in the wet, while Raul has experience. At the end, I’m quite happy about how Ai managed the day because it was easy to make a mistake – he needed to get experience and the time was very limited, so I’m really impressed how he managed the situation and how he tried to get out the maximum from these conditions. We are missing something with Raul still. It looks like he is happy about the bike but he couldn’t put everything together in the last couple of laps when it was the moment to try to set a good lap time. Anyway, I think we have some chances tomorrow. First of all, to try to be in Q2 and if it’s not possible, then to try to secure the best possible grid position have a race where we can recover. We are looking forward to tomorrow to learn more and to improve in front of our home fans.”

Massimo Meregalli – Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team Director

“COTA has been partially resurfaced, and it was done really well, but today we didn‘t quite get to enjoy it fully. As the weather forecast predicted, the conditions were pretty tricky until the last 25 minutes of the afternoon Practice. Theoretically, from now on the riding conditions should be better for the Americas GP Saturday and Sunday. We are disappointed that we missed the Q2 with both riders, and we are aware that tomorrow it will not be easy to get into the top 2 in Q1, but for sure we will do all we can to help the riders be fast enough. We will analyse all of today’s data and use it to course-correct where necessary.”

Gino Borsoi – Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP Team Director

“I really enjoyed watching Jack today. He had never ridden the Yamaha in the wet before, yet we managed to give him a bike that performed well in those tricky conditions. More importantly, he adapted quickly, understanding the YZR-M1 and pushing hard on such a demanding track like COTA. Seeing him ride with slick tires on a half-dry track was first surprising, then thrilling, as he delivered incredible lap times. As a former rider, I witnessed things today that truly showcased his talent. Once again, he was the fastest Yamaha rider, which is a great result for us. I‘m also very pleased with Augusto‘s work. He still has a lot to learn about the bike, but he approached the weekend with the right mindset and is doing a great job.”

MotoGP Practice Report

Starting wet, finishing dry and with a flurry of action, Friday afternoon’s MotoGP Practice at the Circuit of the Americas was a real treat. With rain easing off after a lunch time shower, we got the fastest times of the weekend thus far, resulting in Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) setting a 2.09:929, the only time in the 2.02 bracket all day, holding off Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team pairing Fabio Di Giannantonio and Franco Morbidelli behind.

Although the opening 20 minutes were completed on wet tyres as a drying line had yet to fully form, the slicks were soon donned, and the times tumbling. Jack Miller (Prima Pramac MotoGP Team) never shies away from being one of the first to put on slick tyres and he was true to form, followed by the two factory Ducatis and Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP). All four demoted Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol) from top spot, as the 2020 World Champion enjoyed competitiveness in the opening moments of the hour-long session.

However, with the rain abating and track conditions improving with each passing second, it was always going to be who left it latest in terms of who stood the best chance of being inside the top ten and, therefore, going directly into Q2.

Marc Marquez was the first to blink, slicing nearly a second from the top time and into the 2’04s, whilst at the other end of the top ten, Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) was in P10 and had a target on his back from the likes of teammate Ai Ogura, Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) and Morbidelli.

A late crash for Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR) brought out the yellow flags but the Frenchman was fine.

The last 90 seconds were wild with an abundance of late laps and although nobody could get near the #93 – a 0.736s gap to the opposition – it was Di Giannantonio and teammate Morbidelli that joined him in the top three, ahead of Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) and his Gresini teammate Aldeguer, who is through into Q2 for the first time.

Jack Miller’s strong session saw him top Yamaha, ahead of Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Maverick Viñales (Red Bull KTM Tech 3), who makes Q2 for the first time in KTM.

Joan Mir held on to go through directly to Q2, just ahead of Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team). ‘Pecco’ scraped through with a tenth to spare.

Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) just missing out on automatic promotion to Q2.  The 2021 World Champion is in good company in Q1 though with Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), Bezzecchi and Ogura all having to tough it out. There’re only two spots available, so there will be some very big names with some very big disappointments come Q1 on Saturday morning from COTA.

MotoGP Practice Times

Moto2

Days at the office don’t get much better than that if your name is Jake Dixon (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team). P1 in FP1 was backed up by a dominant P1 in Practice to see the British rider sail into Saturday as the rider to beat in Moto2 at the Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas, as Tony Arbolino (BLUCRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2) and Alonso Lopez (Team HDR Heidrun) pocketed P2 and P3 on Friday.

With under five minutes to go, a clear dry line was appearing around a large part of the 5.5km long layout, which meant we saw some late improvers. Arbolino climbed to P2 with less than two minutes to go, Sergio Garcia’s QJMOTOR – FRINSA – MSI replacement, Oscar Gutierrez, jumped to an impressive P7 before rookie star Daniel Holgado (CFMOTO Power Electronics Aspar Team) went P5 – and then P4 on his final flyer. But World Championship leader Manuel Gonzalez (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) was struggling. A crash at Turn 12 was followed by the Spaniard being unable to find a better lap once he’d got back out on track, seeing the title chase leader finish in P26, 3.984s off Dixon’s pace.

Celestino Vietti (Team HDR Heidrun) completed the top five behind Dixon, Arbolino, Lopez and Holgado, with Alex Escrig (KLINT Forward Factory Team) doing a great job to earn P6. Barry Baltus (Fantic Racing LINO SENOGO) and Marcos Ramirez (OnlyFans American Racing Team) claimed P7 and P8 respectively, as Gutierrez bagged a first automatic Q2 spot in P9. As did Yuki Kunii, the IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia rookie ended Practice in P10, as Aron Canet (Fantic Racing LINO SENOGO), Zonta van den Goorbergh (RW-Idrofoglia Racing GP), Australian Senna Agius (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP), and Mario Aji (IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia) were the final top 14 riders on Friday in Austin.

Work to do in Q1 then for Gonzalez, while home hero Joe Roberts (OnlyFans American Racing Team) will also be hoping he can get into the pole position fight from Q1 on Saturday afternoon.

Moto2 Practice Times

Moto2 Championship Standings

Moto3

Practice for the Moto3 World Championship saw a familiar name on top as Matteo Bertelle (LEVEL UP – MTA) continued his prowess from the opening two Grands Prix. In a session that was once again wet, he led a very fast rookie in Maximo Quiles (CFMOTO Valresa Aspar Team), whilst Scott Ogden (CIP Green Power) was P3.

For the fifth time this season so far, a session was topped by Bertelle, as he took P1 once again and led the charge for the riders going straight to Q2 but there was a whole new name behind him. Get ready to hear more about Quiles who on his Moto3 debut took second ahead of a field packed full of established stars. Briefly going top in the closing stages, the wet weather was certainly kind to the #28 who’s already causing a stir. Great Britain’s Ogden clinched third place, ahead of David Almansa (Leopard Racing) and David Muñoz (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP).

Sixth may have been enough to keep Jose Antonio Rueda’s (Red Bull KTM Ajo) run of top six finishes in all sessions alive but it didn’t tell the full story as he crashed at Turn 20 and lost eight minutes, briefly putting him at risk of not making the cut before bouncing back with a late flying lap. Adrian Fernandez joins teammate Almansa in Q2 with P7 ahead of Rueda’s teammate Alvaro Carpe and a late-improving Riccardo Rossi. However, save of the year has gone to Angel Piqueras (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI) in P10, who tucked the front at the final corner but somehow held onto it in miraculous fashion.

Through to Q2 for the first time in his rookie season, young Kiwi Cormac Buchanan (BOE Motorsports), ahead of Adrian Cruces (CIP Green Power), Luca Lunetta (SIC58 Squadra Corse) and Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia), with the Japanese rider squeezing in. Joel Kelso (Level Up MTA), Tatchakorn Buasri (Honda Team Asia) and Guido Pini (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) all crashed and thus find themselves going via Q1.

Joel Kelso – P19

“The initial feeling was good, but after some changes, we couldn’t manage the situation as expected. Unfortunately, the crash affected the final results, but we’ll try again tomorrow with determination.”

Making a comeback after missing out on the pre-season and the first two rounds was for sure not an easy thing, but making it at bumpy-COTA, and under the rain, took things to another level for returning Australian Jacob Roulstone. Without pressure, the morning’s Free Practice 1 was about getting back the sensations on his KTM and with the squad. The Aussie finished with a best lap in 2’30.173, 6.8 seconds from the fastest lap set by Angel Piqueras. In the afternoon, the feeling continued to improve for the Aussie’s first day back at school, with an improved 2’27.725 that saw him finish the day in 24th.

Jacob Roulstone – P24

“Overall, I am happy to be back. I am feeling comfortable on the bike, with no pain, which is really positive. Of course, track conditions were not really the best to come back after 3 months, but it was a positive day for us. I want to be at the front, but we need to be realistic and take it step by step. As track conditions are due to become better, I am heading to the rest of the weekend feeling confident that we can further improve on the dry, so I’m excited for that.”

Moto3 Practice Times

Moto3 Championship Standings

2025 MotoGP Calendar