AUSTIN, Texas – Marc Marquez continued his mastery of Circuit of the Americas Sunday, earning his seventh victory at the American track in MotoGP competition.
Marquez lined up third on the grid in his first front row start since his return from injury. He was in the lead by the time the field got to turn one and that was effectively the ball game. Marquez promptly drove away from the field, eventually winning by more than four seconds ahead of championship leader Fabio Quartararo.
After the race Marquez honored late American rider Nicky Hayden by riding around the circuit with a flag that carried Hayden’s No. 69. Hayden died on May 22, 2017 after being a struck by a car while cycling a few days earlier.
The victory for Marquez also gave Honda it’s 450th premier class podium.
“The plan was to do exactly what we did today: start well and fight into the first corner, take the first few laps a bit easy and then when the tires start to drop a little bit – that’s when I would start to push,” Marquez said. “It’s exactly what I did and I saw the gap increasing with my lap times in in 2’04 highs, very consistent and comfortable. In the last few laps I was very tired and it wasn’t easy to keep my concentration but Fabio was far behind and my instincts said he would not risk anything as he’s fighting for the championship. Today is a great day, I want to say thanks to the whole of HRC and the Repsol Honda Team who have worked so well all weekend. It’s been a hard season to understand everything, I was really looking for this victory because we know we had a good chance here. It was nice to win here for Nicky Hayden and also for the Viñales family, I have known them since I was eight years old and it’s a hard year for them and for the world of racing.”
The runner-up result gives Quartararo a 52-point edge in the standings as the series heads to Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli in Italy, where he can lock up his first MotoGP title.
Francesco Bagnaia finished third for Ducati, with Alex Rins and Jorge Martin giving chase.