Jorge Martín claimed the first points of the Grand Prix of the United States weekend. This also makes the #89 rider the new leader in the MotoGP Riders’ Championship. In a Tissot Sprint to remember for some, and to forget for others, with unbelievable action from start to finish. Read on below for the MotoGP Tissot Sprint results at COTA.
First Lap Mayhem Takes Out the Polesitter
Starting in pole position once again, Fabio Di Giannantonio looked cool, calm, and collected, lining up on the grid. A few teams were embracing the Texan spirit. Pedro Acosta donned the famous Stetson hat, while there was a complete livery change of stars and stripes for the Trackhouse MotoGP Team.
Martín made a late switch from the soft rear tyre to the medium compound, making him the outlier of the MotoGP Tissot Sprint. The first lap was dramatic, as predicted. Di Giannantonio lost the lead to Bagnaia and was left to battle with Marc Márquez once again. However, this time it ended with both of them coming down at Turn 12 as the reigning champ trailbraked into the corner to overtake.
While Bezzecchi fell back to fifth, fellow Aprilia Racing teammate, Martín, was making ground to get into the top three. Rookie Diogo Moreira retired from the Tissot Sprint early, pointing to his ear, indicating perhaps having heard something not quite right.
Aprilia Comes for Another Double Podium
Bezzecchi finally found ground again, following Martín through to pass Joan Mir and Pedro Acosta. Meanwhile, up the front, Bagnaia was holding onto the lead by over a second. The other rookie on track, Toprak Razgatlıoğlu, also retired from the race after stopping trackside with a possible technical issue.
There was a position swap for the Aprilia riders, with Bezzecchi overtaking Martín. However, the pressure was too much, causing the #72 to come into the corner, bent out of shape, in Sector 2.
But it wasn’t over yet. Álex Rins ended the Tissot Sprint early, sliding off the track. Meanwhile, battles down the line were happening between Acosta and Mir, but Mir crashed out in Turn 1 with one lap remaining.
Martín closed in on Bagnaia on the final lap, the medium front tyre coming good to give the Aprilia rider the advantage. In a daring move, the #89 caught Bagnaia to pass and win his first Saturday sprint race since the Malaysian Grand Prix in 2024. However, he celebrated too hard, crashing on a wheelie and made his way back in the medical car.
What to Expect on Sunday
Typically, the MotoGP grid resets on a Sunday to the original qualifying positions. However, there will be some reshuffling this time around for the US GP. Bezzecchi and Marini have both been served a 2-place grid penalty for riding slow on-line, impeding M.Márquez. And after that incident in the Tissot Sprint, ramifications are certainly coming for the Ducati Lenovo Team rider. Acosta is also being investigated for tyre pressure, with the possibility of losing his third-place finish. How much will this impact the results at the end of the main race? As usual, it’s hard to predict. But we do know it will be action-packed and dramatic.