Marini through to US GP Q2, while 0.032s denies Mir
Circuit Of The AmericasThe Circuit of the Americas was a wild ride for many with crashes a plenty, Luca Marini expertly handling the situation to challenge the top five
An enthusiastic Friday crowd welcomed Honda's MotoGP riders to the 5.51-kilometre-long Circuit of the Americas as the third round of the 2026 MotoGP World Championship began in earnest, with some of the hottest conditions ever experienced at COTA adding an extra element of challenge to the day.
Luca Marini was the highest placed Honda rider today, sitting comfortably inside the top five until the very final moments of the afternoon session. A sideways moment at Turn 18 on his final flying lap meant that he finished the day in ninth, securing that all important place in Q2 tomorrow. Honda HRC Castrol team-mate Joan Mir was unfortunate to miss out on the top-ten by just 0.032s.
In the LCR Honda team, Johann Zarco and Diogo Moreira both worked hard to make improvements throughout the day and adapt to the unusually warm conditions at the Circuit of the Americas. Both riders will be joining Mir in Q1 tomorrow, where the top two riders will progress to Q2, as Zarco ended today's Practice session in 14th place and Moreira was 17th.
From the very first exit, the bike has been working well, and I was confident of being in the top ten today. It’s great to be in Q2 directly, this was the goal for today because it is something we have missed so far this season. We had the speed for more but a big moment on the last lap at Turn 18 ended my lap, fortunately we stayed on because we were completely sideways in one moment. Now that we have achieved our first target, there are more things we must do, and we need to make another step overnight because in Qualifying people find more speed. The track condition is fantastic overall and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.
From the very first exit, the bike has been working well, and I was confident of being in the top ten today. It’s great to be in Q2 directly, this was the goal for today because it is something we have missed so far this season. We had the speed for more but a big moment on the last lap at Turn 18 ended my lap, fortunately we stayed on because we were completely sideways in one moment. Now that we have achieved our first target, there are more things we must do, and we need to make another step overnight because in Qualifying people find more speed. The track condition is fantastic overall and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.
A little bit of a complicated day, a bit more than we were expecting. After Brazil the team worked a lot to make the tyre work in a better way. We changed a lot of things on the bike in the morning, and I didn’t have the best feeling, so we found a compromise for the afternoon and went from there. It wasn’t ideal, but we needed to try to understand our direction and now for tomorrow everything is clearer. Even like this we were very close to the top ten which is a positive point to take away from today. Good information for tomorrow.
A little bit of a complicated day, a bit more than we were expecting. After Brazil the team worked a lot to make the tyre work in a better way. We changed a lot of things on the bike in the morning, and I didn’t have the best feeling, so we found a compromise for the afternoon and went from there. It wasn’t ideal, but we needed to try to understand our direction and now for tomorrow everything is clearer. Even like this we were very close to the top ten which is a positive point to take away from today. Good information for tomorrow.
Such a pity to miss Q2, but I’m happy with the way I managed the Practice this afternoon and with our approach on this tough layout. I’m doing better runs on this track than in the past, so that is very positive and we can be pleased. We’ve got things under control, and I hope that, despite the challenges, we can do a good job in both races.
Such a pity to miss Q2, but I’m happy with the way I managed the Practice this afternoon and with our approach on this tough layout. I’m doing better runs on this track than in the past, so that is very positive and we can be pleased. We’ve got things under control, and I hope that, despite the challenges, we can do a good job in both races.
Same Friday as in previous races: learning the track, and here it’s tough because it’s long. The afternoon Practice was good, so we aim to do better tomorrow. I need to keep learning the lines, and this only comes with laps. We’ll see on Saturday, we are ready!
Same Friday as in previous races: learning the track, and here it’s tough because it’s long. The afternoon Practice was good, so we aim to do better tomorrow. I need to keep learning the lines, and this only comes with laps. We’ll see on Saturday, we are ready!
