One of the greatest MotoGP races ever took place at the Circuit of Americas (COTA). Despite Maverick Vinales of Aprilia having the best weekend ever, it was a remarkable comeback on race day that demonstrated how far Top Gun has come. It was the Maverick Vinales show in Austin because of the unwavering mental resolve. We examine the riders who performed well and poorly at the 2024 MotoGP of Americas Grand Prix.
2024 MotoGP Americas: Total domination by BatMav
Maverick Vinales has struggled over the past two seasons. His relationship with Yamaha abruptly ended, and he went from being the next big thing in MotoGP to being on the verge of leaving the sport. Regardless of the reasons, having Maverick involved and vying for the championship is encouraging. Team Aprilia deserves praise as well for believing in the Spaniard and supporting him all the way. We can see now that it is yielding positive results. With a pole position, a Sprint victory, and a thrilling finish, the masked hero BatMav secured the top spot. Maverick’s unstoppable speed and brilliance made him the rider to beat, but the Aprilia displayed steely nerves that will live in legend. In addition, he made MotoGP history by being the first rider to win races for three separate manufacturers.Â
2024 MotoGP Americas: Fearless Acosta
Praise is insufficient for Pedro Acosta of GasGas Tech’s accomplishments from the previous two races. The rookie finished fourth in Sprint, second in qualifying behind Vinales, and second on race day ahead of Ducati’s Enea Bastianini. Acosta has easily outperformed everyone’s expectations by finishing on the podium twice in three races. Although the young Spaniard is still getting used to the demands of the fast-paced life of MotoGP, Acosta is securely grounded. According to the Tech3 racer, he is just living in the present and hoping that the team will compete for the championship, but that isn’t the priority. The 19-year-old became the youngest MotoGP racer to have back-to-back podium finishes. Acosta is currently fourth in the championship standings.
2024 MotoGP Americas: Return of the Beast
Enea Bastianini burst into MotoGP with his raw pace, but last year was a forgettable season as he finished a lowly 15th in the rider’s championship. Before the start of the 2024 season, the Italian rider made his intent clear that he was here to compete and fight for the championship title. In the season opener Qatar GP, he finished fifth while his teammate Francesco Bagnaia won the race, but after that, he got the better of the defending champion. With back-to-back podiums at Portugal and Austin, Bastianini is currently second in the championship table and has left his injury-riddled 2023 season behind.
2024 MotoGP Americas: A mixed bag outing for Marc
The COTA sheriff, Marc Marquez, was on the verge of winning at Austin for the eighth time when he crashed out of the race because of a brake problem. The irony was that at Turn 11, the six-time MotoGP world champion lost control of the race while leading. One encouraging thing to take away from the race was that the Spaniard qualified third quickest, placed second in the Sprint, and had enough speed to virtually win the race. Given that it was Marquez’s third race with Gresini and the Ducati machine, aside from the race day, there were plenty of good things to take note of. Gigi Dall’Igna, the boss of Ducati, even lavished the former Honda rider with plaudits for his ability to read the race.
2024 MotoGP Americas: Free-falling Honda
Had Honda reached its lowest point—finishing last in every session and failing to score any points—? Yes, it is safe to say. During the first qualifying session, Honda embarrassingly secured the final four positions, which were occupied by Johan Zarco, Joan Mir, Takaaki Nakagami, and Luca Marini. The team is bewildered, according to Honda manager Alberto Puig, as a result of the numerous modifications made to the motorcycle that haven’t improved performance.
