MotoGP: Texas triumph for Bagnaia as Michelin has the mixed conditions covered
Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) was first over the line after the drama-filled 2025 Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas in Austin, Texas. However, it is second-placed Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) who has emerged at the top of the provisional standings after a weekend of mixed weather. From Friday's rain to fierce heat for Saturday's sprint and changeable conditions for the grand prix itself, Michelin's range had the demanding variety covered, though. Read on for more about how the trip to the USA unfolded...
Round 3 of the 2025 MotoGPTM World Championship was marked by constantly shifting conditions, from rain on Friday, to hot sunshine the following afternoon and showers on Sunday.
A downpour 30 minutes before the grand prix forced all the riders to switch to MICHELIN Power Rains while on the grid. As the track began to dry, though, some chose to change tires during the warm-up lap, which led to red flags being shown and the start being delayed.
With everyone now on MICHELIN Power Slicks, action was finally able to get under way for 19 of the originally scheduled 20 laps.
Having qualified on pole-position and won the sprint, Marc Marquez got away well once again, beating the previous race-lap record a number of times (2m2.221s) to go two seconds clear of Bagnaia.
However, a mistake by the Spaniard on Lap 9 handed the lead to his Italian team-mate who snapped up the opportunity to chalk up his first victory of the year, the 30th of his career.
For the third time from three this season, Alex Marquez came second in both the sprint race and grand prix, so – for the first time at this level – now sits at the top of the provisional Riders' standings, a point clear of his multiple title-winning brother.
Di Giannantonio was the third man on the podium, while team-mate Franco Morbidelli and Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Racing) rounded out the day's top five.
The changing weather made finding the ideal bike set-up and tire choice particularly complex, but Michelin's Power Rain tires rose to the occasion during Friday's wet free practice sessions to provide the riders with the grip and confidence they needed. The MICHELIN Power Slick then picked up the gauntlet to deliver strong performances in qualifying and for the sprint race - which took place with the track temperature standing at 40°C – and, finally, for the grand prix itself, by which time the asphalt had cooled to 26°C.
Next round: Qatar Airways Grand Prix of Qatar (April 11-13).