After delivering “two practically perfect weekends,” Marc Marquez enters the Americas Grand Prix as the runaway favorite to extend his unbeaten 2025 run and secure an eighth MotoGP victory at COTA.
Marquez made history as the youngest-ever premier-class race winner at the inaugural Austin event in 2013. Twelve years later, he returns with a chance to strengthen his bid to become the oldest champion of the MotoGP era.
His dominance at COTA began with a six-race winning streak for Repsol Honda, which ended in 2019 when a technical issue caused him to crash while leading. The 2020 event was canceled due to the Covid pandemic, but in 2021, Marquez made a stunning comeback from injury to secure what would be his penultimate Honda victory.
A startline issue in 2022 saw him battle from the back of the grid to finish sixth, and he missed the 2023 race due to injuries from a collision with Miguel Oliveira. Returning in 2024 with Gresini Ducati, he finished runner-up in the Sprint and briefly led the grand prix before a brake issue ended his race.
Now, with a flawless start to his factory Ducati career—winning in both Thailand and Argentina—Marquez is the man to beat in Austin.
“We arrive in Austin after two practically perfect weekends, especially the first in Thailand,” Marquez said. “COTA is a track where I have always managed to be fast, even last year when I was here for the first time on the Ducati.
“A physically demanding track and in terms of riding too where I have won a lot. We must stay focused, not make mistakes, take care of the details, and work hard with the whole team to be competitive.”
Marquez enters the weekend with a 16-point lead over his younger brother Alex, who has been his closest challenger in every race so far.
Meanwhile, Marquez’s Ducati teammate Francesco Bagnaia has hinted at reverting to the ‘standard’ GP24 package after a disappointing outing in Argentina. A former Moto2 winner at Austin, Bagnaia has yet to claim a full-length grand prix victory at the circuit, though he did take a Sprint win in 2023.
“The atmosphere in Austin is always special. A very long track, one of the most demanding on the calendar both physically and in terms of riding, with 20 corners,” Bagnaia said.
“In 2023 I scored a nice win in the Sprint, while last year I struggled more. In Argentina, we scored two solid placings, but we weren’t as perfect and competitive as we want. We need to continue working with the team to find good riding feelings again.”
