• Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) takes pole position and sets the new absolute record at the Circuit of the Americas in 2'01.892
• Pecco also won the Sprint race and achieved his best lap in 2'03.082, a time faster than the record for the best lap in a race (E. Bastianini, 2022, 2'03.521)
• Álex Rins (LCR Honda) wins the 2023 Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas and sets the new official race lap record with a time of 2'03.126
• Álex Rins also sets the new race duration record in 41'14.649, almost 10s faster than Bastianini in 2022
Álex Rins won this weekend at the Circuit of the Americas, with a lead of 3,5 seconds over Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) and Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™). In the early stages of the race, the Catalan rider faced Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), author of pole position and winner of the Sprint race. Freed from his opponent, who fell in the 8th round, Rins gradually increased his lead, achieving very fast times over the 20 rounds. A regularity which proves the consistency of the MICHELIN Power Slick tires, Hard at the front (symmetrical) and Soft at the rear (asymmetrical).
Like Álex Rins, for the Grand Prix of the Americas all the drivers opted for MICHELIN Power Slicks Hard front and Soft rear tires. A well-established choice because the same specifications had been retained for the Sprint race on Saturday.
Results of the MotoGP Grand Prix of the Americas at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin:
The action started on Friday during Tests 1 and 2 on a “green” and cold track, with a low level of grip. Having tested the five specifications making up the weekend's allocation, the drivers made their choices for qualifying the following day. Saturday started under clear skies with 24°C on the ground, an ideal situation allowing Francesco Bagnaia to take pole position by establishing the new absolute track record in 2'01.892. Between noon and 15 p.m., the temperature on the ground increased sharply, reaching 00°C at the start of the Sprint race. A significant variation, which forced the teams to adapt the settings of the machines and the cold pressures of the tires.
The Sprint race was won by Bagnaia, who set a time of 2'03.082, faster than the race lap record set by Bastianini in 2022 (2'03.521). This last reference officially fell on Sunday during the Grand Prix, Álex Rins having achieved a time of 2'03.126. The LCR Honda driver is therefore the new holder of the racing lap record at COTA.
MotoGP Grand Prix of the Americas Sprint Results at Circuit of the Americas in Austin:
« The track was slightly cooler than for the Sprint race, but with 40°C on the ground the grip was not ideal ", Explain Piero Taramasso, manager of Michelin's two-wheel competition. “ The choice of Hard tire at the front and Soft at the rear was undoubtedly the best, with very consistent times over the 20 laps and four brands in the first four positions, which proves that the MICHELIN Power Slick adapts to all motorcycles and all riding styles. All record times were beaten this weekend with significant improvements in reference times. »
The next round of the FIM MotoGP World Championship, the Gran Premio MotoGP™ Guru by Gryfyn de España, will take place at the Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto from April 28 to 30, 2023.
Credit rankings: MotoGP.com
