Saturday’s day in Austin was a good day for Maverick Vinales, and there is a good chance that Sunday’s day will also be good for the Aprilia rider, as he seems above the rest on the Texan track. Starting on pole in the sprint race, the Aprilia rider made a great start which left his rivals with no hope of being able to overtake him at the first corner.
If a group of three riders, with Marc Marquez (Ducati Gresini) and Pedro Acosta (KTM GasGas), was quickly formed, Vinales was never worried and he took advantage of the fight for second place little by little. break away. Counting up to more than 2″5 in advance, he spent the second half of the race alone and calmly went for the 12 points for victory in this sprint race. Before the 25 of the Grand Prix on Sunday?
Behind the Aprilia rider, it was Marquez who had the last word, more solid than Acosta and Jorge Martin (Ducati Pramac), well recovered from his sixth place on the grid. The former Honda driver first had to manage the enthusiasm of the Spanish rookie, before being able to breathe a little more easily.
Acosta also had to give in to Martin, who therefore completes this 100% Spanish podium. A 3rd place that he can welcome with pleasure after his fall during qualifying, especially since Francesco Bagnaia had a difficult race. Getting off to a very bad start, the reigning double world champion quickly found himself 10th and struggled to gain two places and finish 8th.
French people in the tough
In the French clan, regrets once again prevail. Starting 16th, Fabio Quartararo briefly occupied 13th place, but the Yamaha rider, who signed for two additional seasons with the Japanese manufacturer, was never able to get closer to the top 10 and finished in 15th place. As for Johann Zarco, his progress with the Honda LCR is not yet visible on the track, and he crashed on the 7th lap while in 17th place. There is little chance that the two Tricolores will do much better on Sunday.
