Maverick Vinales was nearly untouchable at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) where he won both the Sprint and feature races, and did so in dominant fashion.
- Vinales first MotoGP rider to win with three manufacturers
- Acosta secures back-to-back podiums
- Marc Marquez crashes out of the race
Vinales wins despite poor start
The first corner of the race saw Vinales drop down the order to 11th place due to a lot of riders jostling for the same piece of tarmac. However, Vinales’ pace was much quicker than those in front of him and lap-by-lap he overtook riders ahead of him. Lap 13 was when he took the lead from GASGAS Tech3’s Pedro Acosta and he stayed there until the chequered flag was waved.
Bastianini-Martin battle, Marquez crashes out
Pramac’s Jorge Martin and Ducati’s Enea Bastianini had an intense battle throughout the race, and for much of the 20 laps, Martin had the advantage. However, in the later stages of the race, Bastianini had the superior pace which meant he trounced Martin to stand on the final step of the podium.
COTA is one of Marc Marquez’s favourite circuits and his speed was immediately apparent here. Since the start, Marquez was always in the top five and made many attempts to take the lead. However, in his final attempt to do so against then-race leader, Acosta, his front tyre gave way and he crashed out of the race.
2024 MotoGP championship standings
Despite not finishing on the podium in the feature race, Jorge Martin still comfortably leads the World Championship standings. Enea Bastianini trails him by 21 points and Maverick Vinales sits third overall now. Pedro Acosta sits fourth in the standings, just ahead of reigning World Champion Francesco Bagnaia. The next round of MotoGP will be held on April 26-28 at the Circuito de Jerez in Spain.
Unnatee Gidithuri
Suraj Viswanathan
