Maverick Vinales new King of MotoGP COTA USA

Maverick Viñales showcased his outstanding performance right from qualifying, securing the season’s first pole position with the RS-GP24. Leading the race from start to finish, the Spanish driver not only set the fastest lap but also crossed the finish line over two seconds ahead of his competitors. This marked his second race win of the season, following his victory at Portimão.

Maverick Vinales

“It’s amazing when things work so great, I’m really happy. I feel like this is one of the best moments of my career, especially for my riding. Physically I feel very strong and that’s crucial at this track. I would also like to thank the team, we are motivated and were hungry for this victory.”

Pedro Acosta did it once again, this time even more impressively, securing his second consecutive podium in the premier class on Sunday with a P2 finish. This achievement made him the youngest rider ever to achieve back-to-back podiums in MotoGP. What an incredible talent he is!

Starting from the front row in second position, all attention was on the rookie. He narrowly missed his first Tissot Sprint podium on Saturday with a P4 finish. As the race began at 14:00 local time (GMT-5), the rookie made a perfect start, leading through the tricky turn 1 ahead of Jorge Martin and Francesco Bagnaia. He set a strong early lap time of 2’03.578 to maintain his lead, which he defended for the first three laps despite Martin’s persistent challenges. Can you believe a rookie leading a MotoGP race in just his third outing?

Martin grew increasingly impatient and managed to pass Acosta, with Marc Marquez and Bagnaia following suit, pushing Acosta back to 4th with Jack Miller on his tail. Meanwhile, the pole-sitter and Tissot Sprint winner started to recover from a slow start, climbing to P4 with 12 laps remaining. Acosta closed in on race leader Martin, who seemed to ease his pace. Seizing his chance with a brilliant move, Acosta reclaimed the lead! However, Marquez soon overtook him but crashed out shortly after. Drama ensued!

Viñales then challenged Acosta, who defended brilliantly initially but eventually had to yield. With six laps to go, Acosta posted a quick lap time of 2’02.966, ranking third fastest in the race. The pace settled as riders aimed to avoid last-minute errors. Viñales led the charge, while Acosta closed the gap in the final laps but couldn’t quite catch him. Viñales secured the win, with Acosta finishing a commendable second. This marks Acosta’s second consecutive podium, placing him fourth in the championship standings. Bravo!

Pedro Acosta

“I had not enjoyed a race like this one in years, since Moto3! You can not imagine how much fun I had today on track, when I was overtaking riders, when Jorge Martin passed me and then I recovered the position, touching the other riders, etc. It was a super nice race until Maverick Vinales passed me, but he was a rocket today, I am super happy for him. Yesterday I was a bit disappointed with our tyres mistake, but in the end I am really happy that we made that mistake because we fixed it today. This morning in the warm up, we decided to go with medium, and then in the race, when I led, I was trying to manage my tyres, not to make a stupid mistake or anything crazy. I am also really happy to have been able to fight with the top guys like Marc Marquez, I am learning a lot from him and I enjoyed being with him until he crashed. I am super grateful to be with Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 because they believe in me so hard, but also the people around me and Pierer Mobility because they are giving everything to provide me with the best package possible. It was a great weekend, thanks everyone.”

Enea Bastianini

“It was a great race and I’m super happy for the podium, especially after a so and so weekend. I got a good start and wanted to stay with the frontrunners, but I ended up losing some positions also due to the fact that I struggled a bit with the front-end while riding within the pack. In the second part – which is kind of my specialty – I managed to bounce back and be fast, which allowed me to finish on the podium. I would have obviously liked to win, but we cannot be but happy with this result.”

MotoGP Americas Results