After a thrilling Sunday performance at the Circuit Of The Americas in Austin, Repsol Honda rider Marc Marquez took the win making it the seventh out of the last eight races held at the circuit.
The Spaniard had crashed from the lead in a MotoGP race held at the same venue back in 2019, but this time round he gave no chance to any mistakes after dominating for the whole race from Lap 1.
Despite starting from third on the grid, Marquez made an incredible start which saw him lead Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia and Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo as the headed to the first turn. This was a lead that the eight-time world champion was sure of as he barely faced any pressure. However, for the first five laps Marquez was much slower as he closely led seven riders but the margin extended to a whole second from Quartararo who was following in second place.
For the next 12 laps, Marquez was making laps within 2m 04s, a time that only Quartararo could manage to get within occasionally.
“It was a great Sunday! Starting from the warm-up the feeling was good,” Marquez said after his seventh win at COTA after executing his plan perfectly.
“Basically, my plan A was to lead the race from the first lap and I did it. It was a perfect start, especially the first corner I was braking deep and hard. I tried to control the race in the first three/four laps and then push.”
“From five-zero/four-high (lap times) I went to four-low and that is where I felt very strong. I tried to open a gap and that is what I did.”
“On those laps I felt very good with the bike and the last part of the race I didn’t know how my physical condition would be.”
“I think everybody struggled a lot in this race, so yeah, the gap that I opened with Fabio was enough to manage and ride very constant.”
Marquez’s race wins in the 2021 MotoGP season have come from left handed circuits, COTA being one and the other being Sachsenring. Although he prefers the left handed circuits, Marquez insists that his feeling towards the right and left handed circuits has changed since his injury in 2020.
“Of course, in the left circuit corners; always has been one of my strong points, but now with the injuries it is even bigger the difference, the feeling in right and left corners,” said Marquez.
“It is easy to explain that the left corners I can turn and I can push with the left hand and use the triceps.
“But in the right corners, just I push with the left and from there I have understeer. When I try to push with the right hand at the moment I can’t, but I am able to ride well.”
“It is true that riding like this is difficult, which is why I crashed many times, but we are working on it and we are trying to understand it well.”
AUSTIN MOTOGP, COTA – RACE RESULTS
| POS | RIDER | NAT | TEAM | TIME/DIFF |
| 1 | Marc Marquez | SPA | Repsol Honda (RC213V) | 41m 41.435s |
| 2 | Fabio Quartararo | FRA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +4.679s |
| 3 | Francesco Bagnaia | ITA | Ducati Team (GP21) | +8.547s |
| 4 | Alex Rins | SPA | Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) | +11.098s |
| 5 | Jorge Martin | SPA | Pramac Ducati (GP21)* | +11.752s |
| 6 | Enea Bastianini | ITA | Avintia Ducati (GP19)* | +13.269s |
| 7 | Jack Miller | AUS | Ducati Team (GP21) | +14.722s |
| 8 | Joan Mir | SPA | Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR) | +13.406s |
| 9 | Brand Binder | RSA | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | +15.832s |
| 10 | Pol Espargaro | SPA | Repsol Honda (RC213V) | +20.265s |
| 11 | Miguel Oliveira | POR | Red Bull KTM (RC16) | +23.055s |
| 12 | Alex Marquez | SPA | LCR Honda (RC213V) | +24.743s |
| 13 | Andrea Dovizioso | ITA | Petronas Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +25.307s |
| 14 | Luca Marini | ITA | Sky VR46 Avintia Ducati (GP19)* | +26.853s |
| 15 | Valentino Rossi | ITA | Petronas Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +28.055s |
| 16 | Iker Lecuona | SPA | KTM Tech3 (RC16) | +30.989s |
| 17 | Takaaki Nakagami | JPN | LCR Honda (RC213V) | +35.251s |
| 18 | Danilo Petrucci | ITA | KTM Tech3 (RC16) | +42.239s |
| 19 | Franco Morbidelli | ITA | Monster Yamaha (YZR-M1) | +49.854s |
| Aleix Espargaro | SPA | Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) | DNF | |
| Johann Zarco | FRA | Pramac Ducati (GP21) | DNF |
