MotoGP practice results as Marc Marquez sets the pace at the United States Grand Prix

Add as preferred source on Google

Ducati ace Marc Marquez recovered from a crash on Friday morning to set the pace in practice at the 2026 United States Grand Prix and nearly set a new lap record at COTA.

Lap times started to drop in the final 15 minutes, as attention turned to time attacks to get an automatic place in Q2. Aprilia racer Marco Bezzecchi was the first rider to fly to the top, as KTM ace Enea Bastianini and Honda star Luca Marini also showed strong potential at COTA.

Marquez, who is the King of COTA with a record seven wins in Texas, displaced Aprilia rival Bezzecchi to set the pace in practice at the United States GP with 10 minutes to go. He set a 2:01.267, but it was not initially enough to deny Fabio Di Giannantonio of VR46 on his GP26.

Marc Marquez topped the practice timesheet at the United States GP – Who is your favourite for pole at COTA?

Comment

Like or Comment

Have your say Sign-in now for free

Ducati rider Marc Marquez tops the practice timesheet at COTA

Di Giannantonio threatened to set the overall pace in practice at the United States GP right until the final stages, when Marquez responded with a 2:00.927. Marquez showed how he can make such a difference around COTA by destroying Di Giannantonio’s third sector split.

READ MORE: How to watch the 2026 United States Grand Prix and the COTA Sprint

Pedro Acosta set the pace in FP1 at the United States GP, and he looked likely to carry that momentum into the timed pre-qualifying practice session. The KTM star rose to the top of the early timesheet with a 2:02.310 before he was displaced by Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia.

Bagnaia’s early pace in practice showed he could have a strong race at COTA, but he seems to lack single-lap speed in Texas. Despite the two-time riders’ champion’s early promise, he almost had to go through Q1 in qualifying, but finished Friday with the eighth-best lap time.

Ducati rider Marquez also had a crash on Friday during FP1 at COTA, which seemed to leave the reigning champion somewhat hesitant to push early on the Desmosedici GP26. He took his time to build into the timed practice session, but first he set the pace after 35 minutes.

Jorge Martin and Toprak Razgatlioglu were among the riders to crash in practice at COTA

Crashers have been a major theme of the first day of the United States GP weekend. Ducati racer Marquez crashed during FP1 at the United States GP earlier on Friday, after tucking the front wheel on his GP26 over the crest at Turn 10, resulting in a big impact with the barriers.

VR46 ace Di Giannantonio even crashed at Turn 11 early in the timed pre-qualifying practice session at COTA, and he was quickly followed by Aprilia’s Jorge Martin at Turn 12 and Tech’s Bastianini at Turn 12. All three were separate incidents over the first six minutes of practice.

Franco Morbidelli even gave VR46 more work when he crashed at Turn 1, and he seemed to be in some discomfort. KTM star Acosta and Trackhouse gem Ai Ogura also fell in the first 11 minutes at Turn 18, and Ogura drew an investigation after he crashed under the yellow flags.

Ogura avoided a penalty as the Japanese gem fell after he had passed Acosta, who had also crashed mere moments before the Trackhouse rider arrived on the scene. While his leathers were scuffed by the fall, Ogura dialled his Aprilia RS-GP in and set the pace after 32 minutes.

Pramac Yamaha rookie Toprak Razgatlioglu added to the crash count shortly before the half-hour mark during practice at the United States GP, as well. The three-time World Superbike champion fell at Turn 11, as he continued to get to grips with COTA aboard a MotoGP bike.

Maverick Vinales withdraws from the 2026 United States GP – What impact will his ongoing shoulder injury have on his MotoGP career?

Comment

Like or Comment

Have your say Sign-in now for free

Riders continued to crash throughout practice, too, with Alex Marquez of Gresini dropping his factory-spec Ducati GP26 at Turn 1 on the half-hour mark. Like so many riders, the 2025 championship runner-up tucked the front wheel by trying to force a wider line into Turn 1.

Brad Binder also produced a late crash at Turn 1 while trying to produce a fast lap time in a bid to climb up the order on his KTM RC16. The South African has again struggled to match the single-lap speed that teammate Acosta is able to produce at the 2026 United States GP.

Meanwhile, KTM Tech3’s Maverick Vinales has withdrawn from the remainder of the United States GP event owing to excessive pain in his left shoulder. The 31-year-old took part in FP1 earlier on Friday, but was unable to complete the session and will now fly to Italy for checks.

Vinales revealed this Thursday that he had already arranged checks on his shoulder for after the United States GP, but hoped to be able to take part at COTA. The Spaniard is still dealing with the ongoing effects of the dislocation and fracture he suffered at the 2025 German GP.

Full practice results at the 2026 MotoGP United States Grand Prix at COTA