COTA MotoGP Sprint Race Quotes

Jorge Martin – P1

“Starting from behind and winning anyway makes it even better, because everything is right there on the edge. On that final overtake I didn’t really think about it much – I just gave it a go. I knew without a shadow of a doubt that the medium tyre was the right choice. It was risky, because nobody else used it, but in the end it proved to be the right decision. We’re where we need to be. I’m truly happy with the work we’re doing.”

Francesco Bagnaia – P2

“I’m happy with the podium, even though it hurts a bit that I missed out on the win. I gave it all, maybe a bit too much in the early laps, but I think we wouldn’t have been able to secure a better result anyway, given the lack of grip we experienced at the end. I pushed as hard as I could in the first half of the final lap in order to defend the position, but I wasn’t expecting an overtake at turn 12. We’ve worked very well so far: we made a step forward in the time attack, which until now had been an issue, and the good qualifying allowed us to stay at the front and push hard the way we know we can.”

Enea Bastianini – P3

“I am happy with this result. After a couple of difficult weekends, we were able to find our speed again and be competitive. I think we made the right choice with the rear tyre, which helped us return to the front. There was a bit of luck with what happened at the start, but we also fought hard, recovered positions, and the team did a very good job. This podium shows that we are still capable of challenging at a high level. Of course, there are still areas where we need to improve, and we know we are not yet where we want to be. But we are working closely together and giving our best in every race. We will try to do the same again tomorrow.”

Alex Marquez – P4

“Today it was important to bring home points and avoid mistakes. Let’s say we raced defensively, waiting to find the right feeling with the bike. The crash this morning took away a lot of my confidence, even though we’re still missing something. We found something positive this morning and who knows, maybe it’s the right direction to get back to the top positions in the standings.”

Luca Marini – P5

“On paper, sixth position, we should be happy. But I wanted to be better, I wanted to be there fighting for the podium but since this morning I was not feeling as comfortable as yesterday. Everything today was just a little bit more complicated than yesterday which limited our potential. Even like this, we have been able to improve the bike since the last two races, and this is a crucial point. Still to reach the top five, we need to really having everything perfect so there is of course more work to do to help us close the gap. Another step in the right direction and hopefully in tomorrow’s race we can do a little more and see what happens.”

Ai Ogura – P6

“I had a tricky day. Yesterday, I did a really good first sector but today, from the morning until the Sprint, I struggled in sector one, so it was really complicated to understand why this happened. We still finished inside the points after we started from 11th and saw the chequered flag, which is the most important thing. It looks like, for the medium front the temperatures were a bit too cold and I crashed twice this morning. The first one I can accept but the second one, it was just a cold tire again and I lost a bit of confidence for Qualifying. In the Sprint my feeling was better because the temperature went up.”

Raul Fernandez – P7

“I’m very happy with my race pace. I think we managed the Sprint super well, but we need something more for overtaking tomorrow. I think our pace is good enough to arrive in the top 5 or top 6, but we have to find something to make overtaking easier because this is the most difficult thing we face right now. But, I feel good with the bike and I think this morning I made a small mistake on the time attack, because I missed Q2 by 0.0, which means it is super close. When we have these kinds of situations, we have to find a solution, which is what we did between Qualifying and Sprint because for the Sprint I had a clear idea of what I have to do to end up in the points. It was not easy, but I’m happy for the points. For tomorrow we need to find something extra and try to understand in which points we can overtake.”

Pedro Acosta – P8

“Not bad but we suffered in the race. We know our limitations and we are trying to play our cards in the best way. I think 3rd was our position on the track today and we have to be happy in that we are making the most of the package at the moment. Tomorrow we have to start well and then do our best to save the tire.”

Johann Zarco – P9

“I’m happy with the point. We are improving in terms of speed, but we were still missing some pace during the Sprint. As I don’t have the perfect feeling with the bike this weekend, I tried to manage the situation and avoid mistakes. We’ll try to fight for the points again tomorrow, we’ll see!”

Fermin Aldeguer – P10

“I’m satisfied with today. This morning I had good feelings both in the free practice and in Q1. In Q2, honestly, I didn’t have much to say with only one chance for the time attack. In the race, let’s say the fatigue started to be felt — many laps on this circuit are difficult to manage. Looking ahead to tomorrow, it will definitely be important to manage our energy. We start from the third row, so it’s certainly a good beginning.”

Fabio Quartararo – P11

“I was expecting a worse pace, if I’m honest – especially after Moto2. But I also think everyone was faster than I expected. It’s tough this weekend. I also had a bit of a weird crash earlier today, but I’m okay.”

Brad Binder – P12

“I definitely would have liked a better day than today but I’m missing a bit of pace all weekend. I tried my best to pass guys early on and go forward but I didn’t have the speed. Not enough. I have some homework to do and figure out how we can be better and I’m sure we’ll do it for tomorrow.”

Franco Morbidelli – P13

“Just like yesterday, I’m unable to extract the maximum potential from the bike, especially with new tyres. Step by step, I’m able to improve, even if there’s nothing particularly outstanding. Of course, we’re working very hard and trying many things. We also did that today in the Sprint to prepare for tomorrow’s race. If we solve this issue, we can make a strong recovery in the race.”

Jack Miller – P14

“It was a decent day — not perfect, but we know this is a work in progress. It‘s a fast-moving project and we‘re trying to go through as much as possible, but of course everyone else is already operating at their maximum level, so it can be frustrating at times. That said, we‘re keeping our heads down and continuing to work. I had a bit of a battle with Morbidelli. I made a small mistake in the stadium section, which allowed him to get close, and towards the end I was struggling a bit with the front tyre pressure, which went slightly too high and didn‘t help my feeling. Later on he also made a mistake and I was able to close the gap again, but when I had the opportunity to attack there was a yellow flag, so I couldn‘t make a move. All in all, we‘re still learning and gathering information, and we‘ll try to take another step tomorrow.”

Joan Mir – P15

“Staying positive like always, no regrets. I had the opportunity to fight for the podium and that’s exactly what I did. If I didn’t try, I can’t sleep wondering if I could have given more. Ok, I need to find a bit more patience in the future, but I am certain that if we continue working in this way we can be there, not once or twice but every race. The more we improve, the more margin we have. I am sorry to the team because this time it was my fault, now we see what the possibility is for tomorrow. If there is again the opportunity to fight for the podium then we will go for it with everything that we have, like always.”

Alex Rins – P16

“It’s a tough weekend so far. It’s difficult to manage the bike and the grip. I gave it my 100% but still qualified in last position, that was not nice. In the Sprint race we improved the turning slightly. I was riding behind Jack [Miller] when I lost the front.”

Marc Márquez – P17

“It was a mistake that had consequences, as we involved Fabio (Diggia) in the crash, and that makes us even more sorry. I didn’t take into account the three-bike slipstream and, under braking, there was a point where I couldn’t get the bike stopped; I tried to go down the inside and then run wide, but when I hit a bump, the front tucked. It’s a shame, especially for Diggia, who had no blame. Now we need to see what the situation will be like tomorrow and give our best.”

Marco Bezzecchi – DNF

“It was a real pity. I made a mistake that I shouldn’t have made because I exaggerated a bit on the braking section. I was coming back well after losing some positions at the start, but I should have been more patient. Instead, I made that mistake. We’ll try to make up for it Sunday.”

Fabio Di Giannantonio – DNF

“Today we had the potential and the opportunity to win the Sprint, but it wasn’t possible. Still, I don’t want to focus too much on what happened in the Sprint. There are many positives for me and for the team: this is the fourth different track where we haven’t needed to change much on the bike. We’re only focusing on small details, and when it’s like this, it means you have a great package. We’re strong, the results speak for themselves. We did a fantastic job and secured an incredible pole position. We just need to keep pushing, and tomorrow we’ll have another opportunity. The goal for the race will be to start well and be in front at the first corner, then set our pace. Our rivals will want to do the same, so we’ll try to give our best.”

Toprak Razgatlioglu – DNF

“The first part of the race was quite good and I was actually surprised by how comfortable I felt on the bike. The only difficult moment was the first lap, where I struggled a bit to understand some of the bike‘s reactions, but from Turn 11 onwards I started to find a better rhythm and everything improved. Up until the technical issue, I was feeling positive and trying to catch the rider in front, but we are still losing quite a lot on the straights. I tried to follow Aldeguer, because he is very strong, especially through the long corners, and it‘s clear that we are losing time in the last sector. So it‘s a mix of emotions — I had some good laps and a good feeling on the bike, but the technical problem stopped us. At the same time, it‘s clear where we are still missing compared to the others. Tomorrow will be a long and demanding race for everyone. I will do my best again.”

Diogo Moreira – DNF

“I felt an issue with the clutch that didn’t improve, and I had to retire. This is part of racing, and we’ll try again tomorrow. It’s a demanding track, but it’s important to finish the race, keep learning, and see what we can do.”

Team Managers

Fabiano Sterlacchini – Aprilia Racing

“It was quite a positive day, although it’s a shame about Marco’s crash, as he had an excellent pace. We are very pleased for Jorge, because getting him back to winning was an important goal, and we have to be satisfied. On the Trackhouse side, unfortunately a less-than-ideal qualifying compromised what could have been a very positive race for both riders.”

Nicolas Goyon – Red Bull KTM Tech3 Team Manager

“That’s the beauty of this sport and it’s what MotoGP is all about. It’s a real mix of emotion. We started the weekend in a very difficult way, with Maverick making the difficult but sensible decision to stop racing for the remainder of this weekend. At the same time, Enea managed to go directly into Q2 on Friday afternoon, which was the first time since Barcelona and gave the team a good boost heading into Saturday. We know that when Enea starts inside the Top 12, he can deliver a brilliant race. Today, he had a good start and built his race very cleverly. Finishing fourth after starting 12th on the grid was already a great result. In the end, Pedro Acosta’s penalty promoted us to third position, so congratulations again to Enea. It has been a good day for us, but tomorrow remains the main target, and we will keep working to achieve another strong performance.”

Davide Brivio – Trackhouse Aprilia Team Principal

“At the end, we scored some points in the Sprint, which is very positive. Overall, I think we managed to have a decent Sprint as we knew, since the beginning, that the starting position was not ideal. Ai, I think with the crashes this morning, starting P11, it wasn’t an easy race but once again, he was focused on the race, recovered a few positions and pushed until the end. Concerning Raul, he started even further in the back but, he had a great start, kept going and going. At the end they had a battle between them and finished sixth and seventh to score points. It was OK to recover from our starting position and there is something we can improve with both of them and we will try to use the information as best as we can to have a great recovery tomorrow.”

Aki Ajo – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager

“After a difficult weekend in Brazil we have to be happy with our basic performance here in Austin. Our package is working quite well at this track and the results of Pedro and the guys were quite promising, and we can be satisfied with the Sprint for both Pedro and Enea. Unfortunately, we have tight and clear rules and, of course, as a team we are sorry for Pedro. Tomorrow, we have another day and another race to keep our targets high.”

Massimo Meregalli – Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team Director

“It was an overcast Saturday, but despite the cooler conditions we witnessed many crashes in today’s Sprint, underlining how difficult the riding conditions were. COTA is always a tricky circuit for us, and this weekend has been challenging, as we expected. Our riders are further down the grid than we would like, and our pace is not fast enough. Nevertheless, Fabio, Álex, and the entire team are pushing hard to make the most of a difficult situation. We will analyse today’s data carefully to prepare for tomorrow’s 19-lap Race, which will be demanding for the riders due to the unique characteristics of this track. We’ll keep working to extract every bit of performance we can.”

Gino Borsoi – Prima Pramac Yamaha Team Director

“I have to say that, overall, even though Toprak wasn‘t able to finish the race, his performance up to that point was very strong. He continues to make positive and consistent steps forward, fighting among the Yamaha riders and close to Fermín Aldeguer. Being that close to the top ten is a clear sign that the progress is real and ongoing. It‘s a pity about the issue — we are still investigating the cause, it seems to be something electronic, but it‘s not yet fully defined. We still have tomorrow, and we‘re hopeful we can resolve it. As for Jack, he followed the plan we had: to finish the race and get as close as possible to the other Yamaha riders. He achieved that, although it‘s a shame about the final part of the race, where he had a small issue with Morbidelli, as he might have gained one more position. It‘s not the result we are aiming for, but we‘ve taken another step forward — we completed the race, gathered important data, and that puts us in a better position moving ahead.”

COTA MotoGP Sprint Race Top Speeds

Pos	Rider	Bike	Average	Top
1	M Bezzecchi	Apr	351.1	353.9
2	E Bastianini	KTM	348.4	352.7
3	L Marini	Hon	347.6	351.6
4	A Marquez	Duc	349.7	351.6
5	A Ogura	Apr	348.8	351.6
6	J Zarco	Hon	345.8	350.4
7	B Binder	KTM	347.6	350.4
8	J Martin	Apr	347.0	350.4
9	R Fernandez	Apr	347.4	349.2
10	J Mir	Hon	346.5	349.2
11	M Marquez	Duc	343.8	348.1
12	D Moreira	Hon	324.3	346.9
13	F Morbidelli	Duc	345.8	346.9
14	F Quartararo	Yam	343.3	345.8
15	A Rins	Yam	345.3	345.8
16	F Di Giannantonio	Duc	340.8	345.8
17	F Aldeguer	Duc	344.2	345.8
18	T Razgatlioglu	Yam	310.2	343.5
19	J Miller	Yam	341.1	343.5
20	P Acosta	KTM	340.4	342.4
21	F Bagnaia	Duc	341.6	342.4

COTA MotoGP Combined Qualifying Times

pos	rider	Bike	Time/Gap		Speed
1	F Di Giannantonio	Duc	2m00.136		352.7
2	M Bezzecchi	Apr	2m00.329	+0.193	350.4
3	P Acosta	KTM	2m00.485	+0.349	349.2
4	F Bagnaia	Duc	2m00.563	+0.427	348.1
5	J Mir	Hon	2m00.591	+0.455	349.2
6	M Marquez	Duc	2m00.637	+0.501	349.2
7	J Martin	Apr	2m00.696	+0.560	346.9
8	A Marquez	Duc	2m00.765	+0.629	344.7
9	L Marini	Hon	2m00.891	+0.755	346.9
10	F Aldeguer	Duc	2m01.014	+0.878	338.0
11	A Ogura	Apr	2m01.419	+1.283	350.4
12	E Bastianini	KTM	2m01.477	+1.341	343.5
13	R Fernandez	Apr	2m01.228	+0.251*	342.4
14	D Moreira	Hon	2m01.306	+0.329*	342.4
15	J Zarco	Hon	2m01.445	+0.468*	346.9
16	F Quartararo	Yam	2m01.553	+0.576*	335.9
17	T Razgatlioglu	Yam	2m01.745	+0.768*	340.2
18	B Binder	KTM	2m01.865	+0.888*	344.7
19	J Miller	Yam	2m01.893	+0.916*	336.9
20	F Morbidelli	Duc	2m02.117	+1.140*	344.7
21	A Rins	Yam	2m02.366	+1.389*	339.1