Cal Crutchlow arrived in Austin as leader of the World Championship. His Argentina victory highlighted an Englishman now at the peak of his art and his knowledge of his Honda. He proclaimed to anyone who would listen, on the podium at Termas de Rio Hondo, that no one should doubt him. However, at Austin, he ruined, alone, a race which could have offered him a choice result.
A disappointment that the LCR pilot accepts: “ I felt good but I made a mistake and fell. It's a shame because, frankly, I had enough to finish second or third. But I fell. I had the hard rear tire. Which didn't allow me to overtake my opponents as I wanted and then start in front. The grip was not ideal. But I knew that halfway through the race my situation would improve. What happened. But I had already made my mistake. This race was disappointing. I was driving well, but I ended up on the ground ».
The Englishman specifies: “ I had difficulty braking the bike, but it was more my opponents who slowed me down. They caught me every time I passed them. My pace was better than them though. No doubt about it. But I didn't manage to leave. It's like that. There are good races and others are bad ».
« Honda wanted me to finish the race, and I could have actually driven to settle for sixth place. But I'm a pilot and I see things differently. If I have the potential to finish second, I will fight for second place. My speed was worth more than seventh place ". But it still ended with a zero score. The teammate of a Nakagami who finished fourteenth is now fourth in the championship, tied on points with zarco.
Austin MotoGP J.3: Ranking
| 1 | 93 | Marc Márquez | Honda | 41'52.002 |
| 2 | 25 | Maverick VIÑALES | Yamaha | +3.560 |
| 3 | 29 | Andrea Iannone | Suzuki | +6.704 |
| 4 | 46 | Valentino ROSSI | Yamaha | +9.587 |
| 5 | 4 | Andrea Dovizioso | Ducati | +13.570 |
| 6 | 5 | johann zarco | Yamaha | +14.231 |
| 7 | 26 | Dani PEDROSA | Honda | +18.201 |
| 8 | 53 | Tito RABAT | Ducati | +28.537 |
| 9 | 43 | Jack Miller | Ducati | +28.671 |
| 10 | 41 | Aleix Espargaro | Aprilia | +28.875 |
| 11 | 99 | Jorge Lorenzo | Ducati | +31.355 |
| 12 | 9 | Danilo PETRUCCI | Ducati | +34.993 |
| 13 | 44 | Pol Espargaró | KTM | +37.264 |
| 14 | 30 | Takaaki NAKAGAMI | Honda | +39.335 |
| 15 | 19 | Alvaro BAUTISTA | Ducati | +40.887 |
| 16 | 38 | Bradley SMITH | KTM | +48.475 |
| 17 | 45 | Scott REDDING | Aprilia | +49.995 |
| 18 | 12 | Thomas LUTHI | Honda | +51.115 |
| 19 | 35 | Cal Crutchlow | Honda | +59.055 |
| 20 | 10 | Xavier SIMEON | Ducati | +59.747 |
| 21 | 21 | Frank MORBIDELLI | Honda | + 1'00.513 |
| Not Classified | ||||
| 42 | Alex Rins | Suzuki | 10 lapses | |
| 55 | Hafiz Syahrin | Yamaha | 12 lapses | |
| 17 | Karel ABRAHAM | Ducati | 12 lapses |
