MotoGP™: Márquez takes assertive Austin win

Marc Márquez (Repsol Honda Team) was in unbeatable form at the Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas – Round 15 of the 2021 MotoGPTM World Championship – at the notoriously bumpy Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. The Spaniard was followed over the line by Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) and Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) who made it three different bikemakers on the podium in another display of the MICHELIN Power tire range’s exceptional versatility.  

Having opted for hard and soft MICHELIN Power slicks front and rear, Márquez leapt from third on the grid to take control from lights-out. He then remained in control all the way to the checkered flag to claim his seventh win at the American venue that has hosted MotoGPTM action eight times.

The former world champion’s rivals failed to match his quick, consistent pace and Quartararo’s deficit at the finish exceeded four seconds. The Frenchman, however, was glad to pocket precious points in his scrap for the 2021 Riders’ crown with third-placed Bagnaia who started the grand prix from pole position but fell back to as low as sixth before staging a late fightback.

The afternoon’s top six was rounded out by Alex Rins (Team SUZUKI ECSTAR), Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) and Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama) who continued his promising form to harvest sixth. Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) and Joan Mir (Team SUZUKI ECSTAR) were seventh and eighth.

The entire range of MICHELIN Power rubber was used during the weekend as rain forced the field to fit MICHELIN Power Rains for Friday morning’s FP1. After that, the conditions dried out and the temperature of the demanding track soared to more than 40°C for the start. There were three different tire combinations on the grid, with all the riders choosing the hard front which the majority paired with the soft rear, while two bikes lined up on the medium rear and Miller took the hard.

Despite the Circuit of the Americas’ challenging, bumpy surface, all the permutations proved competitive and Márquez even succeeded in shaving more than four seconds off the previous shortest race-duration record that Rins established two years ago.

With three rounds remaining, Quatararo has gone even further clear at the top of the provisional standings, 52 points clear of Bagnaia.

Next round: Gran Premio Nolan del Made in Italy e dell'Emilia-Romagna, Misano, Italy (October 22-24).