ACOSTA LEADS FP1 AT COTA AS MARC MÁRQUEZ CRASHES EARLY
Pedro Acosta made a strong start to his first weekend at the Circuit of the Americas by finishing fastest in the opening practice session. The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider set a lap time of 2:01.715, putting himself just over a tenth clear of the rest of the field.
The session was interrupted by a red flag after a crash for Marc Márquez at Turn 10. The Ducati Lenovo Team rider was slow to get up after the fall, but he was able to walk away and later returned to the track. Despite the incident, he managed to finish the session in fourth place, although it was not the ideal start to his weekend.
As the track conditions improved towards the end of the session, lap times began to drop quickly. With just over two minutes remaining, Acosta set his best lap to take the top position, showing strong pace similar to what he displayed earlier in the season.
Fabio Di Giannantonio finished in second place after a solid performance, continuing his good form at this circuit following a podium finish in 2025. Jorge Martín took third place for Aprilia Racing, confirming the team’s strong momentum after recent races.
Behind them, Raul Fernandez secured fifth place, while Alex Márquez finished sixth. Luca Marini followed in seventh, making it seven different teams in the top seven positions.
Ai Ogura continued his consistent performances with eighth place, while championship leader Marco Bezzecchi ended the session in ninth. Bezzecchi completed more laps than anyone else in the top ten, focusing on gathering data. Franco Morbidelli rounded out the top ten.
Just outside the top ten, Francesco Bagnaia finished in eleventh place, ahead of Jack Miller, who was the fastest rider for Yamaha in twelfth.
Overall, the first session in Austin gave an early look at the competitive order, with Acosta leading the way and several teams showing strong pace as the weekend gets underway.
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