2021 was certainly not Marc Marquez’s best season in MotoGP, but that didn’t stop him from continuing to play the role of the “sheriff” in Austin. The Honda rider has not yet fully recovered from last year’s injury, but at the Circuit of the Americas he was on his own, taking his second win of the season, his seventh marvel on the Texan track.
The # 93 got off to a great start from the front row and immediately took the lead of the group. For a few laps he left the others at least the faint hope of being able to keep his pace, but then he changed pace in an inexorable way and took off, presenting himself under the checkered flag with a margin of over 4 “over the rest of the group.
The two title contenders went up on the podium with him, with Fabio Quartararo appearing to have taken another important step towards the title. The Yamaha Frenchman was the one who managed to stay closest to Marquez, while Pecco Bagnaia went through a more complicated race, in which he managed to put a patch in the final, finishing third.
“El Diablo” was second practically throughout the race and saw his margin rise to 52 points against the Ducatista. This means that in three weeks, in Misano, he will be able to play his first world championship match point. For his part, Pecco struggled at the beginning, retreating to sixth position, but then he showed off a good comeback in the second part of the race.
It must be said, however, that this was also favored by a long lap penalty inflicted on Jorge Martin in the final for a cut in the “snake” (Pecco, however, had already passed him before he served it), but also by teammate Jack Miller , which gave him the way. In any case, this is a result that still keeps a flame of hope alight, albeit increasingly faint.
The penalty cost Martin dearly, who after being third for practically the whole race found himself finishing fifth, also being slipped by Rins’ Suzuki when he served it on the last lap. Miller, who had been the only one to risk the hard rear tire, went even worse, because in the final he suffered a drop in performance and crashed down to eighth under the checkered flag.
On the last lap, however, “Jackass” also saw a fairing trimmed by Joan Mir, who preceded him across the finish line with his Suzuki. The quickest to take advantage, however, was Enea Bastianini, who put them both on and went to take the sixth position. Another truly amazing result for the Ducati rookie. After the race, the stewards decided to punish the world champion for contact with Miller, moving him back one position and thus returning seventh place to the Australian.
The top 10 is then completed with Brad Binder’s KTM and Pol Espargaro’s Honda, but in the points area there is also room for Andrea Dovizioso, at the first points in the new adventure in Yamaha Petronas, Luca Marini and Valentino Rossi. Perhaps we could have expected a little more from the Ducati rider after yesterday’s ninth time, the “Doctor” instead made at least a good comeback from the back of the group after finding himself last on the first lap.
At the end of the group there are Danilo Petrucci and the convalescent Franco Morbidelli, who have done better only than Aleix Espargaro and Johann Zarco, both finished wheels in the air. For Aprilia, therefore, the Texan one was a trip to be truly forgotten, as well as for the Frenchman, who now sees the possibility of closing the World Championship in the top 3 fading.
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