Marco Bezzecchi
Pol Espargaro backs Ducati star Marc Marquez to use the 2026 MotoGP United States Grand Prix at his “lucky” COTA to kickstart his season after a difficult start to the year.
Marquez is a specialist at the Circuit of the Americas, with a record seven Grand Prix wins to his name in Austin, Texas to date. No other rider has ever had more than four wins across all world championship classes at COTA, yet Marquez has taken all seven of his wins in MotoGP.
Were it not for his crash whilst leading the 2025 Americas Grand Prix, Marquez would likely have reached eight COTA victories last season, as well. Ducati teammate Francesco Bagnaia won at COTA in 2025 after Marquez crashed whilst he sought to stretch his lead out in front.
Despite Marquez’s quick crash in FP1 at the 2026 United States GP on Friday, the early signs are encouraging for his chances in America once again. Marquez set the pace in practice at COTA in the timed pre-qualifying session with a 2:00.927, only 0.063s shy of the lap record.
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Pol Espargaro tips Marc Marquez to use the United States Grand Prix as a springboard for his season
Maverick Vinales set MotoGP’s all-time lap record around COTA in 2024 with a 2:00.864 lap, which many may now expect Marquez to eclipse in qualifying for the 2026 United States GP. Trackhouse ace Ai Ogura also recorded a 2:00.980 during practice aboard his Aprilia RS-GP.
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Espargaro certainly expects Marquez to fight at the front in Sunday’s race, too, after working on the medium Michelin tyres during practice on Friday. A strong result this Sunday can also act as a springboard for Marquez’s year, after encountering difficulties in Thailand and Brazil.
Espargaro said on DAZN, via quotes by Motosan: “He’s been one of the few riders who have worked a lot with the medium front and medium rear tyres. Thinking not about tomorrow’s Sprint, but about Sunday, when the temperature will be higher, and that will be the tyre of choice due to the degradation the rear tyre will experience.
“So, Marc is working hard. We’ll probably see a very competitive Marc, who will use this Grand Prix – we’ve said it many times – that riders going through difficult times use these lucky circuits to get back to where they were before those difficulties.”
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Marquez had to yield the win in the Buriram Sprint to Pedro Acosta after receiving a late in-race penalty for forcing the KTM rider wide on the penultimate lap. To make his start to the season worse, Marquez suffered a puncture in the Thailand Grand Prix after striking a kerb.
And while he took his first victory of 2026 last time out, as Marquez won the Goiania Sprint, the Brazilian Grand Prix did not end as strongly as it potentially could have. Marquez lost P3 in the Brazilian GP to Fabio Di Giannantonio of VR46 owing to the track surface breaking up.
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