Enea Bastianini wins in Austin and takes the lead again

Italian Enea Bastianini (Ducati-Gresini), winner of the Grand Prix of the Americas on Sunday in Austin, regained the lead in the MotoGP world championship after the 4th round of the season. Spaniard Alex Rins (Suzuki), 2nd on the line, and Australian Jack Miller (Ducati) complete the podium in Texas, where six-time MotoGP champion Marc Marquez (Honda) and defending champion Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha) finished 6th and 7th, wheel to wheel. Joan Mir (Suzuki) and Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) finished off the podium, 4th and 5th. The Ducati-Pramac of Jorge Martin (8th), who started from pole position, and Johann Zarco (9th) as well as the Aprilia of Maverick Vinales follow in the top 10.

At the World Championships, Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia), on Sunday 11th, leaves Bastianini as the leader. The 24-year-old Italian, who won his first elite race in Qatar in March, is now 5 points ahead of Rins and 11 ahead of Espargaro. Mir and Quartararo are 4th and 5th, with 15 and 17 points respectively. «It’s a fantastic day, Miller had fantastic pace in the first part of the race, (…) then I felt like I had to push, I accelerated like crazy and I won. Winning here in America is fantastic, now we can eat some burgers!said the Italian.

So in the game of pure speed in the long straight of the Circuit of the Americas, Bastianini won. In the 16th lap, he surprised the helpless Australian, who even left, at the very last corner, 2nd place in Rins. «I’m mixed, I had a fantastic race, Enea passed me but I didn’t make a mistakeRecounted Miller, who led for 15 laps after overtaking poleman Jorge Martin at the first corner. Rins dedicated his 2nd place to him.to Ukraine, and to all the people who are suffering», of the war and «also Covid».

Marquez’s crazy comeback

But the show was also provided by Marquez. The six-time champion in the premier category, back after a violent fall and two missed Grands Prix, completely missed the start from 9th place. Downgraded last, he gradually climbed back up, sounding the charge like few other drivers know how to do. After a few well-placed shots, notably on Aleix Espargaro, he offered himself Quartararo in the 14th lap. Without being able to go back further, pressed by the Frenchman who never left him.

The 29-year-old Spaniard, winner seven times here in Austin in nine editions since MotoGP stopped there (2013), explained Thursday that he wanted to first “rebuild trustafter his new injury (concussion and double vision problem). He gains two places in the general classification, to 13th place, but can already be happy to have finished the race, which could have ended on the 4th lap after uncontrolled braking, or to 8th after a few strong rebounds on persistent bumps. of the Texas track.

We don’t have many strengths anymore.

Fabio Quartararo

For Quartararo, it is still a frustrating race, after an 8th place in Argentina. “We don’t have many strong points anymore, because the (other) bikes have evolved enormously compared to last year, and we have stagnatedHe told AFP this week. A finding that was confirmed on Sunday. Even though, to his credit, Quartararo is still the only Yamaha rider to finish decently. His teammate Franco Morbidelli or the riders of the Yamaha-RNF satellite team, Andrea Dovizioso and Darryn Binder, still finished far behind.