Marc Marquez and Pol Espargaro were left wanting much more from their respective Saturdays in Austin, the pair set to start on the third and fourth rows.

Saturday got off to a promising start for Marc Marquez aboard the Repsol Honda Team RC213V as he ended Free Practice 3 in fourth with a best time of 2’02.490. This continued a trend of constant progress over the course of the weekend as the eight-time World Champion returned. Continuing to show consistency in Free Practice 4, Marquez was able to complete a number of laps in the mid 2’03s as his and the team’s attention turned to the race.

A 2’03.038 in Q2 will see the seven-time COTA winner start in ninth place, misjudging the time remaining in the session saw Marquez unable to capitalise on a second flying lap around the long Circuit of the Americas. Expecting a long and phsyical race, Marquez is ready to fight forward and chase the Ducatis ahead.

Still feeling unwell, Pol Espargaro put together a great performance to finish in sixth on the combined times in FP3 with a 2’02.798, just over a quarter of a second off the fastest time. This was an important result as it allowed the #44 to save his energy by avoiding Q1. After his impressive effort in FP3 to end in the top ten, Espargaro will start round four from 12th place on the grid. His 2’03.096 was less than a tenth of a second from a top ten position on the grid for Sunday’s race. Espargaro was left to rue a number of mistakes in Q2 which cost the Repsol Honda Team rider a chance at fighting for the top six. A strong start will be critical in recovering and Espargaro has already begun to make a plan.

Redemption is scheduled for 13:00 Local Time on Sunday, April 10 when the lights go out for the Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas. Both riders will need to be precise in the opening laps to carve through the field, but the launch speed of the RC213V should help in the run up to Turn 1. Setting faster times in Free Practice 3, it’s clear both Repsol Honda Team riders have more speed to show on Sunday and will be ones to watch over the course of the 20 lap race.

Marc Marquez

Ninth 2'03.038

“Step by step the confidence is coming back more and more and today I was feeling and riding in a better way. In Qualifying, speaking honestly, I made some mistakes and I missed the last lap – I thought there was time for another lap. But anyway, we are still starting in ninth even with this. We made some good changes to the bike today and the goal for tomorrow is to finish the race in a good way. It won’t be easy starting ninth, but it will be a long and hard race where many things can happen.”

Pol Espargaro

12th 2'03.096

“Today I was feeling better, the pain was gone in my stomach and my power was improving. The biggest issue today in Qualifying was the mistake I made, touching the green and then misjudging the timing of the session a bit. I think we had the potential to match what we did in FP3 and be in or around the top six. I was not riding well today and making some mistakes, not just with the timing but also some with my riding. Fortunately, we are starting very well this year and Turn One here is always tricky so let’s see what happens in the opening lap. More rest is needed and let’s see what we can do.”

MotoGP 2022
Qualifying Round 4   Americas

Qualifying Results - Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas

Dry
Humidity
24%
Track Temp
49°C
Air Temp
28°C
Pos. Rider Num Nation Team Constructor Time/Gap
1 Martin Jorge 89 SPA Pramac Racing Ducati 2'02.039
2 Miller Jack 43 AUS Ducati Lenovo Team Ducati 0.003
3 Bagnaia Francesco 62 ITA Ducati Lenovo Team Ducati 0.128
4 Zarco Johann 5 FRA Pramac Racing Ducati 0.531
5 Bastianini Enea 23 ITA Team Gresini Racing MotoGP Ducati 0.539
6 Quartararo Fabio 20 FRA Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha 0.595
7 Rins Alex 42 SPA Team Suzuki Ecstar Suzuki 0.655
8 Mir Joan 36 SPA Team Suzuki Ecstar Suzuki 0.908
9 Marquez Marc 93 SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 0.999
10 Nakagami Takaaki 30 JPN LCR Honda Honda 1.015
11 Marini Luca 10 ITA Mooney VR46 Racing Team Ducati 1.020
12 Espargaro Pol 44 SPA Repsol Honda Team Honda 1.057
13 Espargaro Aleix 41 SPA Aprilia Racing Aprilia 0.435 - Q1
14 Vinales Maverick 12 SPA Aprilia Racing Aprilia 0.634
15 Dovizioso Andrea 4 ITA WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Team Yamaha 0.646
16 Bezzecchi Marco 73 ITA Mooney VR46 Racing Team Ducati 0.841
17 Binder Brad 33 RSA Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM 0.980
18 Di Giannantonio Fabio 49 ITA Team Gresini Racing MotoGP Ducati 1.089
19 Morbidelli Franco 21 ITA Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Yamaha 1.092
20 Oliveira Miguel 88 POR Red Bull KTM Factory Racing KTM 1.496
21 Fernandez Raul SPA 1.653
22 Gardner Remy AUS 1.698
23 Marquez Alex 73 SPA LCR Honda Honda 1.742
24 Binder Darryn 40 RSA WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP Team Yamaha 2.159
Location Information

The Circuit Of The Americas is the first purpose-built Grand Prix facility in the U.S. near Austin, Texas, with a 5.513km track and a capacity for 120,000 fans. Construction of the impressive 1000-acre facility was completed late in 2012, with MotoGP lining up at the track for the first time… read more.

Length 5.513 kilometres / 3.426 miles
Width 15 metres
Left corners 11
Right corners 9
Longest straight 1.2 kilometres / 0.746 miles
Constructed 2012
Modified 2018 (track repairs to the surface to smooth down bumps)

9201 Circuit of the Americas Blvd Austin, TX 78617 - View in Google Maps

circuitoftheamericas.com

Records

Pole Position 2m 01.892s (162.8 km/h) Francesco Bagnai (Ducati, 2023)
Race Lap 2m 03.126s (161.1 km/h) Alex Rins (Honda, 2023)
Race Time 41m 14.649s (160.4 km/h) Alex Rins (Honda, 2023)
2023 Sprint Winner Francesco Bagnai (Ducati)
2023 Race Winner Alex Rins (Honda)