MotoGP, Sportrik Media - Marc Marquez of the Ducati Lenovo Team topped Practice at the 2026 United States MotoGP in COTA after recovering from a high-speed crash earlier in FP1.
The Spaniard suffered a heavy 190 km/h accident during the morning session but escaped with minor bruising to his hand. Despite the severity of the incident, he returned to lead a chaotic afternoon session defined by unpredictable grip and multiple crashes.
Marquez endured a disrupted start to Practice, with six of his initial timed laps deleted due to yellow flags triggered by incidents around the circuit. This forced a reset in his run plan as he worked to build tyre temperature and rhythm under inconsistent track conditions.
As the session progressed, Marquez began to unlock performance from the Desmosedici GP, steadily improving his pace. In the final minutes, he delivered a decisive 2m00.927s lap on soft tyres, securing the fastest time of the session.
The opening phase of the one-hour session was marked by a sequence of crashes, with Fabio Di Giannantonio, Jorge Martin, Enea Bastianini, Franco Morbidelli, Pedro Acosta, and Ai Ogura all falling within the first ten minutes.
In total, nine riders crashed during the session as track temperatures rose significantly in the afternoon, reducing grip levels. Ogura was briefly investigated for crashing under yellow flags shortly after Acosta’s fall at Turn 18, but no further action was taken.
Ogura ultimately finished second, just fractions behind Marquez, while Di Giannantonio completed the top three. Championship leader Marco Bezzecchi secured fourth for Aprilia Racing, continuing his consistent run of form.
Alex Marquez recovered from a crash to claim fifth with Gresini Racing, ahead of Acosta in sixth. Martin followed in seventh for the factory Aprilia squad.
Francesco Bagnaia was outside the Q2 positions late in the session but improved to eighth with a 2m01.371s, ensuring direct progression into qualifying.
Honda rider Luca Marini looked set to improve further before a major scare on his final time attack. He finished ahead of Bastianini, now the sole representative of Red Bull KTM Tech3 following the withdrawal of Maverick Vinales.
Joan Mir narrowly missed a Q2 spot in 11th and will contest Q1 alongside riders including Fermin Aldeguer and Raul Fernandez.
Yamaha struggled for competitiveness, with Fabio Quartararo leading the manufacturer in 15th, over one second off the pace. Team-mate Alex Rins, a previous COTA winner, ended the session last.
Meanwhile, Toprak Razgatlioglu crashed during Practice and finished 18th, highlighting the challenging nature of the circuit under evolving conditions.
The session underlined the technical demands of COTA, where surface evolution, temperature shifts, and tyre management remain decisive variables. Marquez heads into qualifying with strong momentum, while several key rivals still face adaptation challenges ahead of the next phase of the weekend.
| POS | FOTO | RIDER / TEAM | TIME / GAP | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |  | Pedro AcostaKTM Factory Racing | 2:01.715 Spanyol | 0 |
2 |  | Fabio Di GiannantonioPertamina Enduro VR46 | 2:01.818 Italia | 0 |
3 |  | Jorge MartinAprilia Racing | 2:01.936 Spanyol | 0 |
4 |  | Marc MarquezDucati Lenovo Team | 2:02.093 Spanyol | 0 |
5 |  | Raul FernandezTrackhouse MotoGP | 2:02.210 Spanyol | 0 |
6 |  | Alex MarquezGresini Racing | 2:02.304 Spanyol | 0 |
7 |  | Luca MariniHonda HRC Castrol | 2:02.365 Italia | 0 |
8 |  | Ai OguraTrackhouse MotoGP | 2:02.388 Jepang | 0 |
9 |  | Marco BezzecchiAprilia Racing | 2:02.425 Italia | 0 |
10 |  | Franco MorbidelliPertamina Enduro VR46 | 2:02.470 Italia | 0 |
11 |  | Francesco BagnaiaDucati Lenovo Team | 2:02.511 Italia | 0 |
12 |  | Jack MillerPramac Yamaha | 2:02.631 Australia | 0 |
13 |  | Maverick ViñalesKTM Tech3 | 2:02.632 Spanyol | 0 |
14 |  | Enea BastianiniKTM Tech3 | 2:02.718 Italia | 0 |
15 |  | Alex RinsYamaha MotoGP | 2:02.750 Spanyol | 0 |
16 |  | Brad BinderKTM Factory Racing | 2:02.766 Afrika Selatan | 0 |
17 |  | Joan MirHonda HRC Castrol | 2:02.877 Spanyol | 0 |
18 |  | Fabio QuartararoYamaha MotoGP | 2:02.947 Prancis | 0 |
19 |  | Toprak RazgatliogluPramac Yamaha | 2:03.037 Turkey | 0 |
20 |  | Johann ZarcoHonda LCR | 2:03.056 Prancis | 0 |
21 |  | Diogo MoreiraHonda LCR | 2:03.125 Brasil | 0 |
22 |  | Fermin AldeguerGresini Racing | 2:03.324 Spanyol | 0 |
| POS | FOTO | RIDER / TEAM | TIME / GAP | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | | Marc MarquezDucati Lenovo Team | 2:00.927 Spanyol | 0 |
2 | | Ai OguraTrackhouse MotoGP | 2:00.980 Jepang | 0 |
3 | | Fabio Di GiannantonioPertamina Enduro VR46 | 2:01.114 Italia | 0 |
4 | | Marco BezzecchiAprilia Racing | 2:01.127 Italia | 0 |
5 | | Alex MarquezGresini Racing | 2:01.213 Spanyol | 0 |
6 | | Pedro AcostaKTM Factory Racing | 2:01.250 Spanyol | 0 |
7 | | Jorge MartinAprilia Racing | 2:01.265 Spanyol | 0 |
8 | | Francesco BagnaiaDucati Lenovo Team | 2:01.371 Italia | 0 |
9 | | Luca MariniHonda HRC Castrol | 2:01.494 Italia | 0 |
10 | | Enea BastianiniKTM Tech3 | 2:01.579 Italia | 0 |
11 | | Joan MirHonda HRC Castrol | 2:01.611 Spanyol | 0 |
12 | | Fermin AldeguerGresini Racing | 2:01.656 Spanyol | 0 |
13 | | Raul FernandezTrackhouse MotoGP | 2:01.781 Spanyol | 0 |
14 | | Johann ZarcoHonda LCR | 2:01.952 Prancis | 0 |
15 | | Fabio QuartararoYamaha MotoGP | 2:02.037 Prancis | 0 |
16 | | Jack MillerPramac Yamaha | 2:02.242 Australia | 0 |
17 | | Diogo MoreiraHonda LCR | 2:02.307 Brasil | 0 |
18 | | Toprak RazgatliogluPramac Yamaha | 2:02.373 Turkey | 0 |
19 | | Brad BinderKTM Factory Racing | 2:02.437 Afrika Selatan | 0 |
20 | | Franco MorbidelliPertamina Enduro VR46 | 2:02.556 Italia | 0 |
21 | | Alex RinsYamaha MotoGP | 2:03.038 Spanyol | 0 |
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