After waiting 4 years between his first two pole positions in MotoGP, Fabio Di Giannantonio (VR46) seems to have found the winning formula. Just seven days after setting the fastest time in Qualifying in Brazil, the Italian repeated the feat in the United States, erasing Maverick Viñales’ previous track record.
Clocking in at 2:00.136, seven tenths faster than the 2024 pole position time (02:00.864), he bumped Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia) and Pedro Acosta (KTM) from the top spot in Q2 despite their efforts. Behind them, Pecco Bagnaia (Ducati) returned to the front on a track where he has had success. Last year’s winner will start from 4th on the grid to try and replicate his performance, marking the first time he has outperformed Marc Márquez in Qualifying since the last Grand Prix of Japan.
Indeed, despite being favored by statistics, the seven-time pole winner in Texas ended up in 6th place in Q2. This marks Márquez’s worst Qualifying in Austin after his 9th place on the grid in 2022. He was also bested by Joan Mir (Honda), who secured an excellent 5th position with a lap time of 2:00.591 placing him ahead of the rest of the pack after the initial runs.
After setting the best time in Free Practice 2, Jorge Martín (Aprilia) qualified in 7th place, ahead of Álex Márquez and Luca Marini, who placed a second Honda in the top 10.
Despite strong showings in the free sessions, Ai Ogura only managed 11th on the starting grid of the US Grand Prix, which is the home race for his team, Trackhouse Racing. His garage neighbor, Raul Fernandez, is the only Aprilia not qualifying on the first 4 rows, starting the weekend races in 13th position.
The start of Saturday in Austin did not favor the French riders, Johann Zarco (Honda LCR) and Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha). Despite their repeated attempts, Zarco finished 15th, just ahead of Quartararo in 16th. No French rider made it to Q2 for the first time since the 2024 Australian Grand Prix. Diogo Moreira (Honda LCR) will start ahead of them after beating his teammate for the first time in MotoGP.
Context: The article provides a summary of the recent MotoGP qualifying round in the United States.
Fact Check: The article accurately reports on the qualifying results for the MotoGP Grand Prix in Austin.
