As the few clouds in Austin’s sky soften the strong heat of the past few days, the temperature has risen rapidly. After a race with twists and turns and a battle at all levels, Enea Bastianini (Ducati) won the Grand Prix of the Americas this Sunday, his second success of the season after the inaugural Grand Prix in Qatar.
The driver therefore did it again and achieved another great performance thanks to highly intelligent racing tactics. The Italian driver takes the lead in the World Championship. As for the French, Quartararo finished 7th, Zarco 9th.
The start of the race was as expected. The five Ducatis were in the lead before the Suzukis took over, mainly thanks to perfectly controlled corners. At the back, Fabio Quartararo, 6th on the grid, took a few places before being relegated to eighth halfway through. In the wheels, the French driver stayed in touch for a long time before attacking, as usual, at the end of the race. It was without counting on an unleashed Marc Marquez.
Marquez’s comeback
The Spanish driver, a seven-time winner in Austin at the Grand Prix of the Americas, remained on the grid to everyone’s surprise. Him, the pilot who was so talented, but lost the feel of the machine for a while. Forget the recent past.
As usual, the Spaniard took risks. He even got a little scared in a bend. Whatever. Marquez did Marquez. And this time the risks were rewarded. In ninth in qualifying, the Texas sheriff made a disastrous start that slipped him into last place. Before making a crazy comeback, gobble up the pilots one by one.
In fact, the Honda rider set the best time, 2’03”553. Arriving at Fabio Quartararo, the Frenchman answered him. Observers had been waiting for the duel between the two men for a long time. It happened. The two men elbowed long laps, each having their chance, before the Spanish driver overtook the Frenchman for the umpteenth and final time on the line. He finished sixth, Quartararo 7th.
Zarco drops five places
On the side of Johann Zarco it is a small disappointment. Ideally placed at the start (4th) of this Grand Prix of the Americas, the Ducati rider finished 9th. First to contact, the French driver was quickly overtaken halfway through the race, notably by Joan Mir and Francesco Bagnaia.
Up front Alex Rins (Suzuki) was the first threat to Jack Miller, first at the start. Increasingly urgent, the Suzuki showed itself in the retro at every turn of the Ducati before passing it. In the end, it was Enea Bastianini (Ducati) who made sure everyone agreed. The 23-year-old Italian rider is the first, in four circuits, since the start of the Moto GP season to win two Grand Prix. At the same time, he takes charge of the general classification.
