Good night!
This marks the end of the first day of the race weekend in the USA. With Jorge Martin, Maverick Vinales, Marc Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia, the candidates for the top field have already emerged today. Pedro Acosta is also involved again. That definitely promises an entertaining Saturday with qualifying and sprints. See you later!
The schedule for Saturday (in CEST):
3:40 p.m. – 4:10 p.m.: Moto3 Training 2
4:25 p.m. – 4:55 p.m.: Moto2 training 2
5:10-5:40 p.m.: MotoGP Free Practice 2
5:50 p.m. – 6:05 p.m.: MotoGP Q1
6:15 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.: MotoGP Q2
7:50 p.m.-8:05 p.m.: Moto3 Q1
8:15-8:30 p.m.: Moto3 Q2
8:45 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.: Moto2 Q1
9:10-9:25 p.m.: Moto2 Q2
10:00 p.m.: MotoGP Sprint (10 laps)
MotoGP: Fine for Johann Zarco
The Frenchman ignored the red flag at the end of the first training session after the practice starts. If it is shown, the drivers must immediately return to the pit lane, which Zarco did not do. The Frenchman has to pay a fine of 500 euros for this.
Moto3: Almansa cautioned
In the first training session, David Almansa drove slower than 135 percent of his fastest sector times. Since it is his first offense this season, there is only one warning.
Moto3 update: All clear for Buasri
Tatchakorn Buasri did not suffer any serious injuries in the fall. He will be checked again by the doctors tomorrow before morning training. Then it will be decided whether he can drive.
MotoGP T: Japanese at the end of the field
The US team Trackhouse-Aprilia narrowly missed out on making it into the top 10 with positions eleven and twelve.
At the end of the time list there is the “Japan Cup” again. Yamaha takes 17th and 18th place, followed by the four Honda riders.
While Yamaha is 1.4 seconds behind, Johann Zarco, the fastest Honda driver, is 1.6 seconds behind.
MotoGP T: Weak KTM result apart from Acosta
Only Pedro Acosta pulled the coals out of the fire for the KTM family. Brad Binder, Augusto Fernandez and Jack Miller are ranked 14th to 16th.
MotoGP T: Checkered flag
With that the session comes to an end. With the new lap record of 2:01.397 minutes, Jorge Martin finished Friday as the fastest. Only Maverick Vinales comes close to his time.
Marc Marquez is third, followed by Francesco Bagnaia and Pedro Acosta.
In sixth place, Aleix Espargaro secures a Q2 place and Franco Morbidelli will definitely be happy with seventh place.
The other Q2 places go to other Italians: Enea Bastianini, Fabio Di Giannantonio and Marco Bezzecchi.
MotoGP T: Marc Marquez third
The “King of CoTA” improves from eighth place to third – four tenths of a second behind Martin’s time.
MotoGP T: Bagnaia does homework
Vinales catapults himself into second place, just 0.076 seconds behind Martin’s time.
Bagnaia drives a clean lap and is now third. He pulls Acosta into fourth place.
On the track behind them, Joan Mir crashes and causes yellow flags.
MotoGP T: Acosta chooses Bagnaia
In the warm-up lap, the rookie hangs onto the world champion’s rear wheel. Mir’s Honda follows behind the red duo.
But Acosta’s plan doesn’t quite work because Alex Marquez squeezes between him and Bagnaia. And at the beginning of the flying lap, Acosta calmly overtakes the Spaniard in Turn 1 and is behind Bagnaia again.
MotoGP T: Where is the KTM duo?
Miller is in 14th place and Binder is only 20th, two seconds behind. So far there hasn’t really been any sign of either of them.
MotoGP T: Bagnaia not in the top 10
Acosta is no longer one of the fastest drivers and can just overtake his teammate Augusto Fernandez, who has rehabilitated himself well here so far, and is tenth.
World champion Bagnaia is only in twelfth position. His second attempt has to be successful, otherwise he wouldn’t be in Q2.
MotoGP T: Vinales time canceled
In turn 19, Vinales drove over the curb on the outside. That’s why this round is canceled for him. He is now seventh in the ranking.
MotoGP T: Martin pulverizes lap record
The hunt for times with fresh, soft tires begins and the ranking changes completely!
Martin catapulted to the top with a time of 2:01.397 minutes. That’s well below the previous lap record (of 2:01.892) and he’s 0.6 seconds faster than Espargaro in second place.
Third is Di Giannantonio, followed by Marc Marquez, Bastianini, Vinales, Raul Fernandez, Morbidelli, Augusto Fernandez and Acosta.
The flying round from Bagnaia, who starts his attack a little later, is still missing.
MotoGP T: Almost a crash at Ducati in the pits
Bagnaia comes back into the pit lane and turns to his pit box. At the same moment Martin wants to drive out and he has to apply the brakes to avoid hitting Bagnaia’s side. Nothing happened, but it was close.