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What started as a wet race weekend on the Circuit of Americas . Maybe all set off on race day . What it did present , a stunning chief within the World Championship factors [], and a quick notice to all that our heroes cannot win all of it, each time.
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With that in thoughts, this week’s Winners and Losers from the Americas GP:
Winner: HondaJohann Zarco, Staff LCR HondaGold and Goose / Motorsport Images” width=”960″ height=”640″ data-nimg=”1″ class=”standard-img” style=”color:transparent” src=”https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/g6IMHFt.j0E_YMt1xwPtxw–/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/motorsport_articles_445/ad3e2c36bc49cb1f56eea54bc6a77fe5″>
Johann Zarco, Staff LCR HondaGold and Goose / Motorsport Photographs
Gold and Goose / Motorsport Photographs
Although made headlines in Argentina together with his front-row begin aboard the LCR entry, Austin was extra encouraging for Honda as an entire. In America, the manufacturing facility workforce got here to the celebration, with the hitherto nameless qualifying seventh and lining up eighth.
Marini duly delivered two eighth locations. Whereas Mir fell off in each dash and grand prix, citing the difficulties brought on by a scarcity of straightline pace in racing conditions, he proved his elementary tempo with the fourth-fastest lap within the dash. He will probably be eyeing Jerez in two races as an ideal circuit for Honda, given the Spanish observe’s lack of straights.
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Though Zarco battled this weekend and had a few falls of his personal, the Frenchman remained exceedingly upbeat after the grand prix, pointing to a “large step ahead” on Sunday and rejoiced in the truth that altering the setup had really made a distinction. It bodes nicely for a producer no quantity of motorbike tweaks may assist final 12 months.
Loser: KTMBrad Binder, Pink Bull KTM Manufacturing unit RacingGold and Goose / Motorsport Images” width=”960″ height=”640″ data-nimg=”1″ class=”standard-img” style=”color:transparent” src=”https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/TRQDxdouI88o_UYQYt7hHQ–/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/motorsport_articles_445/2360754958ec0d6ec2f09894c97c4771″>
Brad Binder, Pink Bull KTM Manufacturing unit RacingGold and Goose / Motorsport Photographs
Gold and Goose / Motorsport Photographs
True, made his first 2025 appearances inside the highest 10 following his transfer to Tech3 — however the Spaniard is an Austin specialist. Though he was optimistic about progress with the bike, there’s a suspicion that his pop up the order was rider-related.
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And sure, Vinales’s team-mate improved his qualifying and picked up a grand prix seventh place he would have snatched with each arms earlier than the weekend. However that race end result was helped alongside by the heavy attrition: this might not have been a high 10 in any other case.
Look previous these little wins and KTM is battling greater than ever. nonetheless hasn’t certified within the high 10 this 12 months. Pedro Acosta managed a fast lap (as regular) to line up fourth, however his races had been a catastrophe. All of the riders are complaining concerning the bike’s race-ruining vibration concern, which led Vinales to truly park it on Saturday.
When the manufacturing facility Hondas and the KTMs had been battling one another in a blaze of pink and orange through the dash — the Austrian machines have sometimes been nicely forward within the final couple of seasons — it was arduous to not see the symbolism of 1 workforce on the up and one going backwards.
Winner: Jack MillerJack Miller, Pramac RacingSteve Wobser – Getty Images” width=”960″ height=”640″ data-nimg=”1″ class=”standard-img” style=”color:transparent” src=”https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/XBPaJWEjXkV2TtEWiWCuOQ–/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/motorsport_articles_445/491e9fe6af2e0991fb8006db0a3656fb”>
Jack Miller, Pramac RacingSteve Wobser – Getty Photographs
Steve Wobser – Getty Photographs
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One man to seem rejuvenated by taking his go away of KTM is . After a promising outing within the dry in Thailand, the Aussie loved the possibility to point out off his famend mixed-weather expertise in Austin.
The rider excelled on slicks through the center a part of Friday’s drying Apply session, topping the timesheets whereas most others hadn’t even modified to dry tyres but. The observe was rather a lot drier by the top of the session, levelling the enjoying subject, however he saved sufficient momentum to make it into Q2 and in the end qualify ninth.
A nasty begin ruined his dash, however Miller would have been relishing a moist/dry GP on Sunday. Issues seemed promising on the grid, however the observe dried too quick for him to steal the present. Nonetheless, he rode a gentle race behind and saved it on the street the place others didn’t. His fifth place was a primary high 10 of the season and noticed the Queenslander board his flight out of Texas with a smile.
Loser: Marc MarquezDavid Buono – Icon Sportswire – Getty Images” width=”960″ height=”640″ data-nimg=”1″ class=”standard-img” style=”color:transparent” src=”https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/hkT4m8rTIKze3a_Dy2NeEw–/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/motorsport_articles_445/345c0d761357bf8d00a5e664cc35b0fd”>
David Buono – Icon Sportswire – Getty Photographs
David Buono – Icon Sportswire – Getty Photographs
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Qualifying was nothing out of the atypical for the Frenchman, who lined up eleventh after having to squeeze by means of Q1. His tenth place within the grand prix was additionally little to put in writing house about. However the manufacturing facility Yamaha rider actually impressed within the dash.
The 2021 world champion wowed onlookers in his memorable battle with the much more user-friendly VR46 Ducatis of Franco Morbidelli and Fabio di Giannantonio. He in the end needed to cede to the Italians after operating fourth early on, however this was a sixth place that lifted Fabio’s spirits in his ongoing battle with the Yamaha.
Marco Bezzecchi, Aprilia RacingAprilia Racing” width=”960″ height=”640″ data-nimg=”1″ class=”standard-img” style=”color:transparent” src=”https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/1iOAHeXV5eWMRInj_BL_VQ–/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/motorsport_articles_445/a7e283f5342aeb63cc64fc497052eb66″>
Marco Bezzecchi, Aprilia RacingAprilia Racing
Aprilia Racing
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Friday was a horror present for Bezzecchi, who suffered technical points (together with different Aprilia riders) on each bikes within the morning. On one of many uncommon events when he was capable of run at pace, he crashed. That led to qualifying thirteenth and lacking out on factors within the dash race.
Bezzecchi then misplaced the bike within the warm-up session as he continued attempting to make up for misplaced time and get his weekend again on observe. The grand prix on Sunday did reward him with a sixth place, although attrition performed its half. He set the sixth-fastest race lap, however that’s one more reason why Bezzecchi will probably be reflecting on what might need been had Friday gone to plan.
Winner: Fabio di GiannantonioFabio Di Giannantonio, VR46 Racing StaffMedia VR46” width=”960″ height=”640″ data-nimg=”1″ class=”standard-img” style=”color:transparent” src=”https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/fD_zbNX8Zhqk9nl_bAV_WA–/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/motorsport_articles_445/b1159c6c81e0ab57f9a273faec2be9ae”>
Fabio Di Giannantonio, VR46 Racing TeamMedia VR46
Media VR46
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They’ve been scripting issues nicely over at VR46. After Morbidelli made his long-awaited return to the rostrum within the Argentina GP, his team-mate obtained his flip within the USA. Third place earned him his first journey there since profitable in Qatar in 2023 — and in reality solely the third of his profession.
Keep in mind that di Giannantonio was driving with a still-significant damage and produced this efficiency at probably probably the most bodily demanding circuit on the schedule. He spoke after the race of being in main ache through the grand prix.
What additionally made Sunday a bit sweeter for di Giannantonio was beating Morbidelli truthful and sq.. There had been some pressure between the 2 riders following the dash, throughout which di Giannantonio felt he’d been compromised by his team-mate for the second weekend in a row. They managed to remain out of one another’s method on Sunday — with Morbidelli coming house a protected distance behind Fabio.
Winner: Fermin Aldeguer
Till Texas, Gresini Ducati’s rookie, , had been studying the ropes in team-mate Alex Marquez’s shadow. Then, at a observe the place few would anticipate a MotoGP beginner to discover a breakthrough, the Spaniard wormed his method straight into Q2. That this effort got here on a drying circuit in Apply spoke volumes for his driving talent.
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These paying consideration within the dash would have seen Aldeguer’s spectacular comeback journey, which adopted him being pushed to the again of the sector when he obtained caught up within the hectic first-lap motion. eleventh place was an amazing end result beneath the circumstances, and eighth-fastest lap hinted at what might need been within the sizzling circumstances.
On Sunday, in totally completely different climate, Aldeguer really went ahead from his beginning place of twelfth. He was eighth by lap three and confirmed no worry for the extra skilled names round him. Within the closing laps, he discovered some unimaginable pace – which he put all the way down to what he discovered concerning the bike through the course of the race – and fought his method as much as fifth. Shortly after taking the spot from Jack Miller, nonetheless, he fell. However setting the second-fastest lap of the race (solely a tenth off Marc Marquez!) simply earlier than the crash was one other of the numerous positives he can take from his third MotoGP weekend.
Winner: Ai OguraAi Ogura, Trackhouse RacingDavid Buono – Icon Sportswire – Getty Images” width=”960″ height=”640″ data-nimg=”1″ class=”standard-img” style=”color:transparent” src=”https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/QtX2MrSBTGmaRlS5LqE8sg–/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/motorsport_articles_445/71f937a9f65a9ec0b78220a3a821b39a”>
Ai Ogura, Trackhouse RacingDavid Buono – Icon Sportswire – Getty Photographs
David Buono – Icon Sportswire – Getty Photographs
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goes down as a winner primarily for the large progress he remodeled the weekend on what was additionally his first MotoGP go to to COTA. He was utterly misplaced on Friday morning, a number of seconds off the tempo and battling Aprilia’s temperature-related technical issues. On Saturday morning, in FP2, he additionally crashed. But amongst these travails was the occasional leap in efficiency that confirmed he was studying in chunks.
Nonetheless, he hadn’t fairly discovered his type by the point qualifying got here round, and the rookie who had wowed Thailand with fifth on the grid may solely produce 18th. Within the dash, nonetheless, Ogura additionally displayed nice in-race studying strides within the method of Aldeguer on Sunday. He snatched the final level with ninth within the dash
He repeated the end result for seven extra factors within the grand prix on Sunday, though he instructed the educational curve had already flattened by then and that the attrition up forward was the principle issue right here. Nonetheless, Ogura was one of many three riders to have fitted slicks on the grid earlier than the beginning was known as off. What might need been doable had penalties been issued to those that ran off to the pits?
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Author : Motorsports
Publish date : 2025-04-02 08:30:00
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