Six-time MotoGP world champion Marquez swept top spot on both Friday practice sessions at Circuit of the Americas, edging Ducati’s Jack Miller in each session, with the Spaniard’s advantage narrowed to just 0.015s at the end of FP2 by the Australian.
After struggling in the damp conditions in the morning session, MotoGP points leader Fabio Quartararo fought back to take third place in FP2 on the factory Yamaha, with Marquez’s Honda team-mate Pol Espargaro slotting into fourth place.
Takaaki Nakagami, who crashed late on in FP1, bounced back to take fifth place in afternoon practice for LCR Honda as back-to-back race winner Francesco Bagnaia slotted into sixth place for the factory Ducati squad.
Pramac Ducati’s Jorge Martin pipped team-mate Johann Zarco to seventh, as Suzuki’s Alex Rins and Avintia Ducati’s Enea Bastianini rounded out the top 10 and the provisional Q2 spots.
Maverick Vinales will miss the COTA race for Aprilia after withdrawing following the death of his 15-year-old cousin Dean Berta Vinales in a World Supersport 300 crash at Jerez last week.
What time does qualifying start for the Americas MotoGP?
Qualifying for the Americas MotoGP is set to start at 8:10pm BST (2:10pm local time), using the regular Q1 and Q2 sessions format. Qualifying takes place directly after the 30-minute FP4 session which is set to start at 7:30pm BST (1:30pm local time).
Danilo Petrucci, KTM Tech3
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
The fastest 10 MotoGP riders on the FP1-2-3 combined timesheet automatically head into Q2, with the rest of the riders entering Q1 of qualifying. The two riders who are fastest in the 15-minute Q1 session will progress into Q2 to compete with the top 10 from practice. Q2, which also lasts 15 minutes, decides who gets pole position and the qualifying order for the front four rows of the grid.
Date: Saturday 2nd October 2021
Start time: 8:10pm BST (2:10pm local time)
How can I watch Americas MotoGP qualifying?
In the United Kingdom every MotoGP practice, qualifying and race is broadcast live on BT Sport.
Americas MotoGP qualifying will be broadcast on BT Sport 2, with the programme starting at 6pm BST to also cover qualifying for the Moto3 and Moto2 classes.
TV Channel: BT Sport 2
Start time: 6:00pm BST
MotoGP also offers its own live online video streaming service which is available to stream in the UK.
What’s the weather forecast for qualifying at COTA?
Overcast but warm weather conditions with a strong chance of thunderstorms are forecast for qualifying at Circuit of the Americas on Saturday afternoon, with highs of 27 degrees Celsius – five degrees warmer than qualifying for the Misano MotoGP last time out.