Marc Marquez lives up to his role as favorite in the MotoGP qualifying session in Austin – Francesco Bagnaia only fifth-best Ducati rider – Pedro Acosta scratches on row one
Ducati factory rider Marc Marquez took pole position at the MotoGP in Austin (USA). In qualifying, the Spaniard narrowly beat fellow Ducati rider Fabio Di Giannantonio (VR46-Ducati). Alex Marquez (Gresini-Ducati) qualified in third place.
After the rainy start to training on Friday, the riders found better conditions on Saturday. At the beginning of Q2, the Texan sun came out as the twelve riders took to the track to define the order in the first four rows of the grid.
Marc Marquez set the first scent mark in the first exchange of blows. The championship leader led the standings with a 2’01.522 lap. Fabio Di Giannantonio (VR46-Ducati) was the first pursuer. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) was in third position.
Yellow flags and improvements on the second attempt
Alex Marquez took the lead briefly on his second attempt. Brother Marc Marquez recorded clear sector best times on his second attempt. A crash by Joan Mir (Honda) caused yellow flags and chaos in the final minute. Fabio Di Giannantonio’s lap was canceled and later re-evaluated.
Marc Marquez improved the best time to 2:01.088 minutes. He rode directly in front of Joan Mir and was not affected by the yellow flags. However, some other laps were canceled. Marc Marquez’s pole was not endangered. The championship leader held his own in first position ahead of Fabio Di Giannantonio. Alex Marquez was pushed down to P3.
Marc Marquez still not satisfied with his Ducati despite pole position
Pole sitter Marc Marquez was less dominant in qualifying than expected. The Spaniard explained the small lead of 0.101 seconds with the lack of dry-weather practice: “Because we couldn’t ride in the dry yesterday, today was the first time I tried the new soft rear tire.”
Some jubilant front-row starters AmericasGP pic. twitter.com/mzvkdAD0Hl
— MotoGP™ (@MotoGP) March 29, 2025
“The bike has changed a bit because of that. I had a few moves that I didn’t expect – a bit too aggressive. I’m fast, but I now have to convert that speed into a clean riding style. I think I can do that, but we’ll see if we have the same feeling in the sprint,” comments Marc Marquez.
Is Fabio Di Giannantonio becoming the biggest challenger?
Fabio Di Giannantonio looked very happy after finishing second in qualifying. “The goal today was to get on the front row of the grid – I really wanted to be there. We’ve worked very well, so far the weekend is going really well for us,” said the Italian.
SOMEONE TELL @FabioDiggia49! His time has been reinstated and he’s in P2 AmericasGP pic. twitter.com/RqQM13ufNb
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“In qualifying, I knew I could do a bit more and I did that on the first tire. I felt even better on the second, so I pushed. Then I saw on the TV screens at the track that my lap time had been deleted – I was so angry, really angry,” “Diggia” reports.
“Then it suddenly reappeared, and I was so happy – the team deserved it. We have been working extremely well together since the winter. A big thank you to them and to Ducati – the bike is fantastic and we have done a good job,” said Di Giannantonio.
Alex Marquez on the front row again
Alex Marquez also has a clear view at the start. “That was the most important thing – our main focus was on being on the front row of the grid. That’s the key here, because once you’re stuck in a bunch, overtaking is difficult,” says the runner-up in the world championship.
“We were able to stay consistent and felt quite comfortable again this morning. I’m happy with that, even though it wasn’t a perfect lap – I also made a mistake on my last lap. We still have a little work to do there. But I feel confident and I think we’re ready for the sprint. After that, we’ll have more information,” says Alex Marquez.
KTM in row two, Honda and Yamaha in row three
KTM factory rider Pedro Acosta ended Ducati’s qualifying dominance. Acosta was the only non-Ducati rider in the top six and leads the second row in fourth place. Franco Morbidelli (VR46-Ducati) and Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) complete row two. Bagnaia was only the fifth-best Ducati rider.
Three Japanese motorcycles are on the third row: Honda factory rider Luca Marini surprised with seventh place on the grid. Joan Mir secured P8 despite a crash. Jack Miller of the Pramac team was the best Yamaha rider in ninth place.
Adrenaline: @JoanMirOfficial AmericasGP pic. twitter.com/yIATZcOAUS
— MotoGP™ (@MotoGP) March 29, 2025
Last year’s winner Maverick Vinales (Tech-3-KTM) finished Q2 in P10. The Spaniard was about a second behind. Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha) and Fermin Aldeguer (Gresini-Ducati) complete row four. Rookie Aldeguer had a slight slip in turn 1 on his second attempt.
Red flags in Q1: Raul Fernandez’ Aprilia crashes into the airfences
The first qualifying round was already a strong field. In addition to Yamaha factory rider Fabio Quartararo, Honda spearhead Johann Zarco, Aprilia factory rider Marco Bezzecchi and KTM factory rider Brad Binder also had to take the detour via Q1.
Trackhouse Aprilia rider Raul Fernandez provided some spectacular images in Q1. The Spaniard crashed in the first session and destroyed his bike in the process. Q1 continued despite Fernandez’s Aprilia visibly damaging the track barrier at turn 10.
From the edge of the kerb to the airfence That was a big one for @25RaulFernandez! AmericasGP pic.twitter.com/hboRgIjIVS
— MotoGP™ (@MotoGP) March 29, 2025
It was only after a few minutes that the organizers decided to interrupt the session after all in order to repair the air fences. Fernandez was able to ride again after his crash, but could not get past P9.
After Q1 resumed, there was a thrilling battle for the two places in Q2. Luca Marini (Honda) stormed to the Q1 best time and booked his place in the second round.
And Fabio Quartararo also made it into Q2 despite a moment of shock. Marco Bezzecchi narrowly missed out on Q2 qualification and will start from P13 in the sprint and the main race.
The MotoGP sprint race in Austin starts at 21:00 (CET).
