Francesco Bagnaia clinched his first win of the 2025 NTT MotoGP season at a rain-soaked Circuit of The Americas, capitalising on a dramatic crash by teammate Marc Marquez to triumph in the Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas. Alex Marquez nabbed second—his sixth straight podium—claiming the championship lead, while Fabio Di Giannantonio rounded out the podium in a chaotic Round 3 that ended Marquez’s perfect start.
Rain, a delayed start, and a pit-lane sprint set the stage for a Sunday that flipped the title chase. Here’s how Bagnaia turned chaos into glory in Austin.
Pre-Race Chaos: Rain Reshapes the Grid
The Americas GP kicked off with a twist—rain drenched COTA before the scheduled 14:00 start, turning the grid into a slippery gamble. Fabio Quartararo’s sighting-lap spill on his Monster Energy Yamaha proved the point, though he limped back to the line. Then, with minutes to spare, Marc Marquez bolted off the grid, sparking a mass dash to pit lane as riders—Bagnaia, Di Giannantonio, Alex Marquez included—swapped to slick-tyred spare bikes.
Not everyone followed. Luca Marini, Brad Binder, and Ai Ogura stuck with slicks from the off, betting on a drying track. The scramble overwhelmed Race Direction—riders, bikes, and crew clogged the lane—prompting red flags. Race Director Mike Webb explained: “We called for a delay and then quick start procedure due to safety concerns. Given the number of riders, bikes and pit staff on the grid and in the pit lane area, it was impossible to start the Warm Up lap. A new race start was the safest way to respond to the unprecedented circumstances at the start of the Grand Prix. We will analyse the situation together with the teams and revisit the regulations.”
A 14:10 restart reset the field—original grid positions, all on slicks. Maverick Viñales’ last-second bike swap stalled proceedings again, but finally, the lights went out.
Early Surge: Marquez Takes Charge
Marc Marquez nailed the holeshot, fending off Alex Marquez into Turn 1. Bagnaia, starting third, probed the Gresini rider at Turns 11 and 12 but couldn’t pass, settling into a top four—Marquez, Marquez, Bagnaia, Di Giannantonio—that gapped Jack Miller and Franco Morbidelli by nearly two seconds after Lap 1.
By Lap 4, Marc Marquez’s lead hit 1.4s, his Ducati Lenovo GP25 humming with a 2:02.466 on Lap 5, then a 2:02.433, stretching it to two seconds. Bagnaia, meanwhile, slipped past Alex Marquez at Turn 12, claiming P2 with clear air ahead. Could he chase down his teammate? Further back, Pedro Acosta’s push for sixth ended in a Turn 1 tumble, thinning the midfield fight.
Turning Point: Marquez’s Costly Slip
Lap 9 brought the race’s defining moment. Leading at Turn 4, Marc Marquez clipped the kerb too wide, hit a lingering wet patch, and lost the front—his GP25 sliding into the gravel. The COTA King’s unbeaten 2025 run—two wins from two—vanished in a Texas heartbeat. He remounted in 18th, but a broken right foot peg and battered bike killed any points hope as Viñales and Lorenzo Savadori swept past.
“I’m really happy; it’s a special feeling to be back atop the podium after what wasn’t the easiest of times,” Bagnaia said later. Marquez reflected: “It was obviously a big mistake, because I had the race under control I was managing the gap, but I cut the corner at turn five a bit too much and lost the front. Was it a disaster? Yes, it was, but we’re human and sometimes we make mistakes. The good thing is that we’re still very close to the top of the standings, so we keep going. We’ll have the same approach in Qatar, trying to understand how to interpret the track the best way. Last year, I had my first racing weekend with Ducati there, and it went well. The good thing is that I know the reason behind my crash – the way I cut the corner; I’m sorry for the team but tomorrow is a new day and the start of a new week.”
Bagnaia’s Breakaway: A Champion’s Response
Marquez’s exit handed Bagnaia a 1.6s lead over Alex Marquez, with Di Giannantonio 2.2s adrift in third. By Lap 13, Marquez retired, his streak officially dead. Bagnaia stretched his advantage to three seconds by Lap 15, then 3.1s a lap later, as Alex Marquez kept Di Giannantonio at bay—1.3s the gap.
Late drama struck elsewhere. Fermin Aldeguer, charging from mid-pack, nabbed fifth from Miller, only to bin it at Turn 15 with two laps left. Johann Zarco’s strong run ended at Turn 12 simultaneously, trimming the points scorers. On the final lap, Bagnaia cruised home, but Alex Marquez had to fend off a prowling Di Giannantonio, just a second back. No mistakes came—Bagnaia took the flag 2.5s clear, Alex Marquez secured P2, and Di Giannantonio settled for third.
“I knew I had to be patient, as the feeling was not ideal, but we started this weekend in a good way as we built upon the progress made in Argentina,” Bagnaia said. “It’s clear that Marc was stronger today, too, but the conditions were tricky, and the kerbs were really wet, especially the one at turn five, which I had noticed already during the warm up lap. After his crash, I tried to pull away and it wasn’t easy, as Alex (Márquez) had a great pace. Winning is what keeps you going, especially when you miss that taste that you had many times before. It’s fantastic.”
Points and Standings: A New Leader Emerges
Morbidelli nabbed fourth, Miller fifth—his best Yamaha result—while Marco Bezzecchi climbed from 13th to sixth. Enea Bastianini led KTM in seventh, followed by Marini, Ogura, and Quartararo in the top 10. Alex Rins (11th), Raul Fernandez (12th), Augusto Fernandez, Viñales, and Savadori scooped the last points.
Bagnaia’s 25 points made him the 10th rider with 30 MotoGP wins, lifting him to third in the standings with 75 points after three rounds. Alex Marquez’s P2—his sixth consecutive top-two—vaulted him to the lead with 87 points, one ahead of Marc Marquez’s 86. Di Giannantonio’s third kept VR46’s podium streak alive.
What’s Next
MotoGP’s rollercoaster rolls to Qatar for Round 4, April 18-20. Bagnaia’s brimming with momentum, Alex Marquez holds the top spot, and Marc Marquez—despite the DNF—vows a rebound at a track where he thrived in 2024. Austin delivered drama; the desert awaits.
