Marc Marquez and Pol Espargaro set the pace in Austin when the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas started, the two of them were consistently strong in wet and dry conditions.
The return of the MotoGP World Championship to the Circuit of the Americas started on a damp note when heavy rains soaked the tarmac of Texas on the Friday before the first free practice session. Conditions would improve quickly as a dry line began to emerge towards the end of the session and Free Practice 2 went on without a hitch as the hot Austin sun dried the water quickly. Even more than the weather, the bumps around the 5.5-kilometer route were a big issue and focus on the first day of training.
Marc Marquez was anxious to secure his claim at COTA and surpassed the first free practice in the wet with a 2’15.872 before he dominated the afternoon session. With a 2’04.164, Marquez beat Miller and Quartararo, who did late flying laps, but neither could show the overall speed Marquez had during the session. Despite his speed on the opening day, Marquez is still looking for further improvements before the race on Sunday.
On the other side of the Repsol Honda team garage, Pol Espargaro was full of excitement as the pit lane opened for Free Practice 1. With a fruitful Misano test under his belt, Espargaro was excited to see how he and the Honda RC213V would fare in Texas. Both Friday practice sessions for the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas showed that Espargaro has the potential to put together a strong weekend as he finished fifth in FP1 and fourth in FP2. Like his teammate from the Repsol Honda Team, Espargaro continues to look for improvements between the bumps of COTA.
Takaaki Nakagami made it into the top five with three Hondas to finish Friday practice when he finished fifth on his LCR Honda machine.