Marc Marquez Wins Fifth Consecutive MotoGP Pole At Circuit Of The Americas

Marc Marquez took advantage of the final moments of Saturday's 15-minute qualifying session to score an unprecedented fifth consecutive pole position at Circuit of The Americas ahead of tomorrow's 21-lap MotoGP race.

The Repsol Honda rider overcame cool, windy conditions and a bump-riddled track surface that contributed to many crashes across the premier class (including two of his own) to post a spectacular 2:02.741 lap, edging title-rival Maverick Vinales by 0.130 seconds.

“Today has been a good day for us, even though FP3 looked not so good for me,” Marquez said. “I tried two completely different bikes and immediately I said, ‘Okay, this is the bike with the correct setup.’ In FP4, I started to have a good rhythm with the used tires.

“My first crash was my mistake—I opened too much gas. The second was really strange. It was very slow; maybe a cold tire. I knew it would be difficult to be in pole position because the Yamaha riders are really strong with a new soft tire.”

Valentino Rossi completes the front row. The Movistar Yamaha teammates nearly collided in Turn 19. Vinales was visibly upset at the moment, but both riders later brushed off the incident. “Maybe I slow down,” Rossi admitted, “but I don’t see Maverick.”

“It’s normal, you know,” Vinales said. “I was just angry because I was on a hot lap. Riders get angry when they cannot finish their lap. After, I tried to push. I gave my best. Honestly, it’s one of the fastest times for a Yamaha here.

“When I saw 2:02.8, I said, ‘Okay, I did the pole.’ But Marc did a great lap. Tomorrow, we still have to improve some things, but I think we are ready. We have to make a good start and then think about what is better for the race.”

Rossi has been all over the board this weekend, making his qualifying performance even more impressive. Eighth in FP1, fourth in FP2, 15th in FP3, and 11th in FP4, he was nearly a second slower than Marquez in Q2 but, as usual, is always seeking solutions.

“It is very important because it is the first real qualifying of the season,” Rossi said. “In Qatar and Argentina, it was wet. I know that if I have a clear lap, I can make a good position. But it was difficult to make strategies because not enough time. The last lap was good.”

“I tried to stay close to Marquez and Vinales but also look behind because [Dani] Pedrosa and [Johann] Zarco have a very good pace. I think it will be a very tough fight for the podium tomorrow.”

Rossi also commented on the condition of the track. “Unfortunately, compared to last year, the track is in bad condition, especially in Turns 2 and 3, but also other places. In Turn 18, the bumps are a lot. I don’t know if it is coming from the cars or some other problem.”

Jack Miller and Jorge Lorenzo transferred from Q1. Miller was one of the 17 premier-class riders who crashed in at least one of the four sessions held today at COTA—10 in FP3, two in FP4, two more in Q1 and another three in Q2.

Lorenzo is the highest-qualifying Ducati in sixth. “Finally, we were able to obtain a good result after a few difficult weeks,” he said. “The most important thing is that I had a good feeling on my bike, and I confirmed what I had wanted to demonstrate in Argentina.”

COTA couldn’t ask for a stronger Sunday ticket: a head-to-head showdown between the defending series champion and current points leader, with the sport’s biggest draw also on the front row, looking to pick up the pieces should things go awry at the front.

Marquez acknowledged COTA has been good to him. “I have won four year in a row, but tomorrow is another race, and I know that Maverick has a chance to win. Also, Valentino is really fast all the time. We will try to be there with them and manage to the end.”