A historic Sunday in MotoGP. Maverick Viñales won the Americas GP in MotoGP after a recovery following a poor start, confirming his superiority in Austin to win with a third different manufacturer.
Strong start from Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GasGas Tech3/KTM), who took the lead ahead of Enea Bastianini (Ducati)… who would be overtaken by Jorge Martín (Prima Pramac/Ducati), Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM), Marc Márquez (Gresini/Ducati), and Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) in the first lap.
🚦 WE'RE GO IN TEXAS 🚦
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) April 14, 2024
HOLESHOT TO @37_pedroacosta! Maverick's had a nightmare start! 🤯#AmericasGP 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/b07UTfxCZ7
The pole position holder, Maverick Viñales (Aprilia), had a poor start and dropped down the rankings: he was ninth at the end of the first lap. At the front, Acosta, Martín, and Miller took up the podium positions in that order. In the second lap, Bagnaia successfully attacked Márquez, moving up to fourth. The Spaniard made contact with Miller in an overtaking attempt and suffered minor damage to the bike.
On the subsequent lap, Bagnaia and Márquez managed to pass Miller. Acosta was being attacked by Martín but had a response… until on the fourth lap, last year’s runner-up completed the overtake. Acosta was then overtaken by Márquez and Bagnaia, who became second and third, respectively.
With 16 laps to go, Márquez tried to pass Martín at turn 20, and the maneuver almost went wrong for both. The eight-time world champion lost two places, dropping to fourth, while the Pramac rider retained the lead. At the start of lap 7, Acosta produced another impressive moment with a superb overtake on Bagnaia. The Italian subsequently lost position to Márquez as well.
Making moves like he's a veteran! ✅#AmericasGP 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/ihWF5MxKyw
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) April 14, 2024
After the poor start, Viñales was gradually recovering, and by lap 8, he was already in fifth place. He was just over two seconds behind the leader, and with 12 laps to go, he overtook Bagnaia to move up to fourth. One lap later, it was Márquez’s turn to pass Martín and climb to second place.
The recovery of #93 continued on lap 11, even reaching the lead. However, he crashed at Turn 11 and was forced to retire. Acosta then regained the lead, with Martín in second and Viñales in third. The battle for the podium was intense, and with nine laps to go, Viñales surpassed Martín… before also overtaking Acosta to take the lead.
BATMAV LEADS! 🦇
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) April 14, 2024
From 11th to 1st! An incredible comeback! 📈#AmericasGP 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/thTc1K8gDg
Five laps from the end, Martín had his podium position at risk: he was attacked by Bastianini, but managed to hold onto the position. In the lead, Viñales began to pull away. The Spaniard managed to stay clear of the opposition to secure his first victory with Aprilia.
As for Acosta, he had to settle for second place, returning to the podium. Bastianini eventually overtook Martín and closed out the podium, with Bagnaia in fifth. Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46/Ducati) achieved his best result of the year in sixth, ahead of Aleix Espargaró (Aprilia).