After a two-week break following the Portuguese GP, the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team have made their way to Austin, Texas for the Grand Prix of The Americas. Fabio Quartararo and Álex Rins both like the COTA track and are fancying their chances this weekend.
The team was forced to cancel their Private Test in Portimao on the Monday after the Portuguese GP due to heavy rain, so the riders and team members are keen to get to work in Austin.
Having confirmed he will stay with Yamaha for 2025-2026, Quartararo arrives at the Circuit of The Americas (COTA) with a strong motivation and laser focus. He is holding 11th place in the championship standings as he enters Round 3 of the 2024 season.
El Diablo has good memories of the Texan track: in 2015, his very first year of visiting COTA, he immediately scored a second place in the Moto3 class. In 2021, the Frenchman equalled this feat on a MotoGP bike, in only his second premier class race in Austin. Last year he again stood on the rostrum, having finished the Race in third place.
Though the Austin circuit is known as quite tricky, Rins has taken a liking to its unique characteristics and is anticipating a positive race weekend. He returns in high spirits to the scene where last year he won the Americas GP Race and took second place in the Sprint. He also graced the premier class podium there in 2022 with a second place and in 2019 with a first place. He stood on the Moto2 class rostrum in 2016 and 2015 for a win and third place respectively, and in 2013 he had secured a Moto3 victory on American soil.
Unable to work on his bike’s setting after the Portuguese GP due to the cancellation of the private test that was supposed to follow on, the Spaniard’s first course of action this weekend will be to work on that aspect as he aims to climb up from 18th in the standings.
Constructed in 2012, The Circuit of The Americas (COTA) was added to the Grand Prix schedule the following year. Its length of 5513m and mixture of fast straights and tight hairpins make the track both challenging and exciting to master for teams and riders. They need to find exactly the right balance for their bike’s set-up to suit the 11 left and 9 right turns and the 1200m straight in order to snatch a place on the podium. The especially sharp Turn 1 will be a place where the fans can expect a lot of overtaking action, both at the start and during the race.
The Grand Prix of The Americas is held in the GMT -5 time zone. FP1 will take place on Friday from 10:45 – 11:30 local track time, followed by Practice from 15:00 – 16:00. On Saturday, FP2 will be held from 10:10 – 10:40, the qualifying sessions from 10:50 – 11:30, and the Sprint starts at 15:00. On Sunday, Warm Up is held from 09:40 – 09:50 and the Race starts at 14:00.
- From Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP
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