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Marc Márquez is keen to maintain his winning streak in Texas. The Spanish rider led free practice for the Grand Prix of the Americas and did it in a big way: commanding in the wet in the morning and also in the dry in the afternoon. Even in 2021 it seems difficult to find a rival.
Marquez has once again asserted his overwhelming superiority in Austin with a sobriety that has reminded the champion of yesteryear. He was even stronger than we saw in free practice at Sachsenring and MotorLand, so he is running as the big favorite for Sunday's win.
Miller is the only one who has been able to keep up with Márquez
Of course, it seems that a very serious rival has come out. Jack Miller plucked up his courage to keep up with Márquez in the wet, while in the dry it has also been second, and only fifteen thousandths of that of Honda. Today's weather can be very important if the rain forecast for Saturday comes true.
What is most encouraging for Honda is that the power of the gold wing bikes has not been limited to Marquez. Pol Espargaró has been in the top positions throughout the day and has finished fourth, while Takaaki Nakagami has been fifth. The only one but is still Álex Márquez, sixteenth.
In the championship battle for now Fabio Quartararo starts stronger. The French reserved in the rain, but in the dry he has placed himself in third position, only behind Márquez and Miller. Although it is not that Pecco Bagnaia is much further behind, because he set the sixth best time.
Trouble Joan Mir, as it rains tomorrow it will have to go through Q1. He has only finished thirteenth, while his Suzuki teammate, Alex Rins, has indeed saved a place in the top ten, albeit narrowly ninth. An Enea Bastianini who is still on a roll would also be involved.
In fact only Luca Marini has avoided the full Ducati in the top ten, since he has gotten up to Johann Zarco with the recently operated arm. Valentino Rossi's brother was still twelfth, so there is speed. Pleasant surprise is Andrea Dovizioso, fourteenth, who is no longer at the bottom of the classification with the Yamaha.
The most negative is poor KTM performance, with the two Tech3 in the last two positions, Miguel Oliveira eighteenth and Brad Binder saving the furniture with eleventh place. It has been noticed that they have never been here on a competitive bike, because the same thing happened to Aprilia. Aleix Espargaró has been the penultimate.
