2021 MotoGP – Round 15 – COTA

MotoGP riders were greeted to a wet track in the morning but track temperatures were still reasonable at 26-degrees while it warmed up in the afternoon session to a dry track with a temperature of 43-degrees.

Despite being resurfaced at T1, T10, T12 and in sector 4, the track remains quite bumpy and the grip levels change from section to section. At this stage it would seem most likely that in dry conditions riders will be leaning towards the Hard front while at the rear the default choice might be the Medium although some riders might take a punt on the Soft rear come race day.

Marc Marquez was eager to stake his claim at COTA, topping Free Practice 1 in the wet with a 2m15.872 before going on to dominate the afternoon session. A 2m04.164 saw Marquez edge out the likes of Miller and Quartararo who put in late flying laps but neither was able to show the overall pace Marquez had during the session. Despite his speed on the opening day, Marquez is still looking for further improvements ahead of Sunday’s race.

Marc Marquez – P1

“It was a tricky day today, the track conditions weren’t easy today. With all of the bumps it’s very hard to be consistent with your laps and to understand where you can push and where the limit is. I feel good in the wet and dry today and in the afternoon we were able to try some different options as well. We still have some areas to work on, to extract the maximum from the bike and myself here in Austin. It’s our best Friday so far this year and the goal is to of course keep this up for the rest of the weekend.”

On the other side of the Repsol Honda Team garage, Pol Espargaro was raring to go as pitlane opened for Free Practice 1. With a fruitful Misano Test in his pocket, Espargaro was excited to see how he and the Honda RC213V would perform in Texas. Both Friday practices for the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas showed the potential is there for Espargaro to put together a strong weekend as he took fifth in FP1 and fourth in FP2. Like his Repsol Honda Team team-mate, Espargaro continues to look for improvements between the bumps of COTA.

Pol Espargaro – P4

“I have always been comfortable in extreme situations; super cold, super windy or super bumpy and today I was able to use this to make a good lap time. But I have a lot of pain in my neck from the bumps around the track, it’s really physical with the circuit this weekend. The race will be difficult, both physically and trying to be consistent over the full distance. The bike is working well here and we have been strong in the wet and the dry so let’s see what the rest of the weekend brings.”

Takaaki Nakagami made it three Hondas inside the top five to end Friday practice as he put his LCR Honda machine in fifth.

Takaaki Nakagami – P5

“Today was a good day for us, in FP1 we had wet conditions, but in the afternoon in FP2 we had dry conditions, so we had two different sessions. We ended up P5 which is a good start, there are so many bumps on this track, but apart from that the feeling on the bike is quite good. Of course, we have room to improve, but we are quite happy with the first day here and we’ll look to keep improving.”

During the rainy morning session, Quartararo was keen to switch up his wet weather set-up, which is an area where he feels he can make further improvements. He shot up to sixth place within the first ten minutes. Improving his best time frequently, he remained in the top 10 for most of the session until the final ten minutes when dry lines started to form on track. The mixed conditions made negotiating the partially resurfaced and very bumpy COTA track even trickier. El Diablo ended the wet session with a 2m18.165s best time, set on lap 16/16, for 15th place, 2.293s from the front.

The Frenchman was quick to show strong pace in the dry FP2. More in his element in the sun, he got to work. The pressure was on to secure a spot in the top-10 as conditions remain uncertain for tomorrow’s FP3. Quartararo put in a soft rear tyre in the final stages for his time attack. Avoiding the yellow flags, he clocked a 2m04.366s on lap 15/17 that briefly put him in first place and ultimately earned him third in the FP2 and combined results, 0.202s from the benchmark set by Marquez.

Fabio Quartararo – P3

“I’m really happy. I think it was a good day. I’m happier about FP1, because we made a step in the wet. We tried something totally different, and we found more rear grip. The position was not great, but my feeling was much better, so I’m happy. FP2 showed that the track is not suitable to race on. It’s like a motocross track with asphalt. Of course, this is the same for everyone, but I think in terms of safety it’s really bad. Adapting to the track conditions was not easy. But I will do my best in the wet, the dry, or whatever the conditions are like. I can’t control the weather, but what’s always true is that I will give my 100% in any type of condition.”

Jack Miller recorded the second-fastest time in both the wet FP1 and dry FP2 sessions behind pacesetter Marquez, Miller was just 15-thousandths off Marc at the end of the day.

Jack Miller – P2

“I’m happy with this first day of free practices at the Circuit of The Americas.It was crucial to finish in the top ten this afternoon since the weather forecast calls for rain tomorrow morning. In the wet in FP1 and the dry this afternoon, I felt comfortable straight away on the bike. The track has a lot of tricky spots: there are a lot of bumps, and this afternoon there were still some wet patches after the rain that fell this morning, but overall I’m satisfied and happy with the feeling I have with my Desmosedici GP here in Austin”.

Pecco Bagnaia ended his first day at the Texan circuit with the sixth-fastest time overall. Eighth this morning in the rain, the Italian improved steadily during the dry afternoon session, finally setting the sixth fastest time overall with his Ducati Desmosedici GP during his final “time attack” attempt in FP2.

Francesco Bagnaia – P6

“It hasn’t been an easy first day: unfortunately, the track conditions are not optimal. There are a lot of bumps, the bike moves a lot, so you have to stay focused on it to avoid making mistakes. Anyway, the situation is the same for everybody, so we have to try our best to be faster and make the bike a little easier to handle in these conditions. In today’s time attack, I wasn’t able to do a perfect lap, but the time was still good, and I’m sure that tomorrow we’ll be able to make further progress”.

Pramac Ducati riders Jorge Martin and Johann Zarco were P7 and P8 while Enea Bastianini (P10) made it five Ducatis in the top ten.

Jorge Martín – P7

“Today was a positive day, I am satisfied with the work we have done. This morning in the wet condition I struggled a lot but in the afternoon session we improved a lot and I have good feelings.”

Johann Zarco – P8

“Really satisfied with this first day. This morning in the wet I went very well and my arm didn’t hurt. I struggled a little bit more in the afternoon but we finished in the top ten and I am very satisfied.”

Enea Bastianini – P10

“It was an interesting first day. The asphalt is very bumpy and it wasn’t easy. The morning was wet and I tried to start to get some confidence. FP2 was completely dry, but I had some pain in my back caused by the crash I had in the Misano test, and I didn’t feel 100%. Anyway, we had a good lap. In the fast corners I feel good, but in the slow ones I still suffer a little bit. We have all day tomorrow to work and we will try to make a step forward.”

Suzuki’s Alex Rins was P9 while the leading KTM was Brad Binder  in P11 while defending World Champion Joan Mir was P13.

Alex Rins – P9

“I really like this circuit but I found it a lot more demanding than in the past, it’s super bumpy and we’re all fighting with our bikes to stay on the right line and not get too out of shape. But overall it’s been a good day, trying both wet and dry conditions. It’s hard to know what the weather will be like tomorrow, but it looks like it will be wet in the morning so I should go directly to Q2. That’s good news, obviously, but we still need to work on a few things.”

Joan Mir – P13

“It’s a shame that I missed out on the Top 10 today, because tomorrow morning could be wet, but today was more difficult than I expected. My first priority is to get the bike how we want it. I’m searching for more stability, especially in the first sectors of the lap; the track is really tricky. It doesn’t really make a difference to me if tomorrow is wet or dry, the main thing is to improve my feeling because it’s very difficult with these bad bumps on the track, it unsettles the bike.”

Aleix Espargaro and Aprilia have a lot of work to do on Saturday and the Spaniard is working alone this weekend after team-mate Maverick Vinales decided not to race this weekend as he mourns the death of his young cousin at Jerez last weekend.

Aleix Espargaro – P19

“We started with a setting that was very close to the one we used in Misano, but it is clear that we’ll have to radically change the RS-GP. The asphalt is in poor condition, much worse than I remembered, and the times show it. After speaking with the techs, we decided to try and find stability on the bumps, without considering any of the disadvantages that might be generated by this setting. Considering the danger and how easy it is to make mistakes, it’s the only way to go.”

---

MotoGP Combined Practice Times Friday

Moto2 Practice Times Friday

Moto3 Practice Times Friday

---

MotoGP World Championship Standings

---

Moto2

Raul Fernandez and Championship-leading teammate Remy Gardner made it another Red Bull KTM Ajo 1-2 on Friday at the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas, the rookie sensation two tenths clear of the Aussie veteran… and the duo with a nice buffer in hand over Sam Lowes (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team) in third. Business as usual? It may be and in the best way, with the two seeming set for another awesome showdown at COTA.

Moto2 Friday top five

1. Raul Fernandez – Red Bull KTM Ajo – Kalex – 2’09.880
2. Remy Gardner – Red Bull KTM Ajo – Kalex – +0.199
3. Sam Lowes – Elf Marc VDS Racing Team – Kalex – +0.654
4. Tony Arbolino – Liqui Moly Intact GP – Kalex – +0.793
5. Aron Canet – Inde Aspar Team – Boscocuro – +0.829

---

Moto3

Filip Salač (CarXpert PrüstelGP) was the rider to beat on Day 1 at the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas, fast in a wet FP1 and a dry FP2 to end Friday top overall. Niccolo Antonelli (Avintia VR46 Academy) was second, within a tenth of the top and another fast in both conditions, with Aragon and Misano winner Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) third by the end of play, only half a tenth in further arrears.

Moto3 Friday top five

1. Filip Salač – CarXpert PrüstelGP – KTM – 2’17.280
2. Niccolo Antonelli – Avintia VR46 Academy – KTM – +0.086
3. Dennis Foggia – Leopard Racing – Honda – +0.126
4. Jaume Masia – Red Bull KTM Ajo – KTM – +0.213
5. Xavier Artigas – Leopard Racing – Honda – +0.282

---

Source: MCNews.com.au