Bagnaia Wins Chaotic Americas GP After Marquez Crashes Out

Start of the MotoGP Americas GP at COTA, with Marc Marquez (#93) leading off the line as Francesco Bagnaia (#63) and Álex Márquez (#73) give chase.

A Soaked Start Turns to Chaos

The Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas delivered high drama even before lights-out. A sudden rain shower doused the Circuit of The Americas shortly before the start, throwing tire strategy into disarray. Many riders, including pole-sitter Marc Marquez, had lined up on wet tyres only for the Texas sun to peek through moments before launch motogp.com . In a split-second decision as the three-minute board was shown, Marquez bolted from his pole position and sprinted down pit lane for his spare Ducati fitted with slicks motogp.com . This trigger-happy tactic set off a chain reaction – Bagnaia, Álex Márquez, Fabio Di Giannantonio and others abandoned the grid to swap bikes, while a few gamblers like Luca Marini, Brad Binder and Ai Ogura had stayed put on slicks from the start motogp.com motogp.com .

The result was grid pandemonium. With riders and mechanics scrambling everywhere, Race Direction waved the red flag to abort the original start, citing safety concerns over the unprecedented situation motogp.com . “Given the number of riders, bikes and pit staff on the grid and in pit lane, it was impossible to start the Warm Up lap,” explained Race Director Mike Webb, who invoked a quick restart procedure and vowed to review the regulations for such scenarios motogp.com . After a brief delay, a new start was set with every rider allowed back to their original grid slot – a controversial reset that left those who had bravely stayed out on slicks feeling aggrieved. Amid the confusion, Maverick Viñales’s factory KTM stalled and had to be wheeled off the grid, adding to the pre-race drama motogp.com . At last, the 19-lap MotoGP race roared to life with all riders on slick tyres and hearts in mouths.

Marquez Blazes Ahead Before Disaster Strikes

When the lights finally went out, Marc Marquez shot off the line like a cannon. The #93 Ducati rider took the holeshot into Turn 1 and immediately began stretching a gap motogp.com . Álex Márquez settled into second, fending off Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia’s early lunges, while Fabio Di Giannantonio tucked in fourth on the leading train. By the end of the opening lap, Marc had already pulled over a second clear of the pack motogp.com , asserting the dominance that had earned him the nickname “King of COTA” with seven premier-class wins at this track.

Bagnaia, determined to turn his season around, finally sliced past Álex Márquez on Lap 4 at Turn 12 to grab P2 motogp.com . But Marc Marquez was in another postcode – reeling off a series of fastest laps in the low 2:02s, the factory Ducati star opened a two-second lead by Lap 5 motogp.com motogp.com . It looked like the eight-time World Champion was en route to a perfect 2025 streak, having won every Grand Prix and Sprint so far. As the race neared halfway, the top four riders (Marquez, Bagnaia, Álex Márquez, and Di Giannantonio) had broken away from the field by a substantial margin motogp.com .

However, the Americas GP had one more twist in store. On Lap 9, disaster struck the race leader: Marquez pushed a fraction too far at the fast Turn 4 esses. His Ducati clipped a damp curb and suddenly washed out from under him motogp.com . In an instant, the undefeated run was over – the #93 tumbled into the gravel, his bike snapping a footpeg and peeling off bodywork as it slid to a stop motogp.com . Marquez remounted to the roar of the crowd, but with a crippled machine (no right footpeg and a cracked fairing) he could not continue at race pace motogp.com . After a couple of slow laps, the proud champion begrudgingly retired to the pits on Lap 13, marking his first DNF of the season and a crushing end to his dream of a COTA eighth victory motogp.com . “The front end just went away on a wet patch of curb, nothing I could do,” Marquez said later, accepting blame for the error. “It’s a shame because we had the race under control.” The Texas crowd, so used to Marquez magic in Austin, watched in shock as their long-time maestro exited stage left.

Bagnaia Capitalizes and Ducati Dominates

With Marquez out, Francesco Bagnaia inherited the race lead – and the Italian didn’t need a second invitation. Bagnaia had been the only rider even close to Marquez’s pace, and now free of the #93’s spray, he began churning out consistent laps to distance himself from pursuer Álex Márquez. Initially holding about a 1.3-second advantage after Marquez’s fall crash.net , Bagnaia steadily grew the gap. By Lap 15, the Ducati Lenovo rider’s lead had ballooned to three seconds, giving him some breathing room to manage the final laps motogp.com . He later admitted that he backed off slightly once victory was in sight: “Marc was faster today, for sure. I was the second-fastest. As soon as I saw him crash, I said to myself, ‘OK, keep pushing the same and open the gap to Álex,’ and that’s what I did,” Bagnaia revealed, crediting his team for keeping him calm under pressure crash.net crash.net . It was a masterclass of measured aggression from the reigning world champion – after a difficult start to 2025, Bagnaia was determined not to squander this golden opportunity.

Behind him, Álex Márquez held a firm grip on second place, but couldn’t afford to relax. Fabio Di Giannantonio, having a career-best ride in third, kept the younger Márquez brother honest all race long. The gap between them hovered around one second in the final laps motogp.com . Álex later admitted COTA was his toughest outing so far this year, saying he “nearly lost the front at Turn 10” early on and thought “today we might have to settle for third” until his brother’s crash changed the game crash.net crash.net . Once promoted back to P2, the Gresini Ducati rider focused on avoiding mistakes: “When I saw Marc crashing, I said ‘OK, pay attention.’ I just tried to bring it home,” Álex recounted. Di Giannantonio, for his part, gave it everything in the closing laps to try to reel in Álex, but ultimately ran out of time and tyre grip. Still, the Italian’s P3 finish for the VR46 Ducati squad marked his first-ever MotoGP podium – an outstanding result that had seemed almost unthinkable at the start of the season. “I really wanted second, but honestly I’m thrilled with third – it’s a dream podium for me,” Di Giannantonio said with a grin. Ducati machinery swept the podium (and indeed the top four spots), underlining the Bologna manufacturer’s stranglehold on COTA this year.

When the checkered flag waved, Bagnaia cruised across the line 2.5 seconds clear of Álex Márquez to claim victory, with “Diggia” just over a second further back in third. Bagnaia celebrated exuberantly with his crew – even grabbing a famous Texas hotdog in Parc Fermé as a light-hearted victory snack. “I’m super happy, I’ve lost my voice from screaming!” Bagnaia joked, relieved to return to the top step after what he called “such a difficult period” earlier this season theguardian.com . It was the double World Champion’s first win of 2025 and his 30th premier-class win overall, making him only the tenth rider in history to reach that milestone motogp.com .

Championship Shake-Up in Texas

The dramatic outcome in Austin has shaken up the 2025 championship fight. Álex Márquez leaves the Americas GP as the new MotoGP World Championship leader – a scenario even he found hard to believe. With three main races and three sprint races completed, the younger Márquez has impressively finished second in all six outings. That remarkable consistency (earning him the light-hearted nickname “Mr. P2”) has been rewarded with 87 points and the top spot in the standings theguardian.com theguardian.com . He now sits one point ahead of his elder brother Marc, whose DNF froze his tally at 86 points. “If you had told me before the first race that I’d be leading the championship after three rounds, I would have said ‘You’re crazy!’,” Álex admitted with a smile crash.net . “But we have been super consistent, always in the top three. For an independent team on last year’s bike to be here is really amazing. We just need to keep this momentum and enjoy the moment.”

Bagnaia’s victory vaults him back into title contention as well. After a sluggish start to the season, Pecco’s 25-point haul in Austin moves him to third in the standings on 75 points crash.net – now just 12 points behind Álex Márquez, and only 11 behind Marc. What looked like a runaway title lead for Marc Marquez a week ago has quickly evaporated; the championship is truly game on heading into Round 4. “Marc’s advantage is gone now, so the pressure is on everyone,” Bagnaia noted. The Ducati factory teammates Marquez and Bagnaia now have a fierce Gresini challenger in Álex, making it a three-way tussle at the top as the paddock packs up for Qatar.

Further down the order, the Americas GP delivered morale-boosting results for several riders. Franco Morbidelli capped a strong weekend in P4, edging Pramac Yamaha’s Jack Miller (P5) in a late battle of former Yamaha teammates motogp.com motogp.com . Marco Bezzecchi fought through from 13th on the grid to sixth for Aprilia, while KTM’s charge was led by Enea Bastianini in seventh. Notably, all of the top seven finishers rode Ducati or Ducati-derived machines (Miller’s new Yamaha engine is a Ducati customer project) – a sign of the Italian marque’s continued technical edge on a fast, flowing track like COTA. The lone Honda in the points was Somkiat Chantra in P16, highlighting a tough day for Honda and KTM factory teams, who saw big names like Joan Mir, Brad Binder, and Pedro Acosta crash out.

In the end, the 2025 Americas Grand Prix will be remembered for its high-stakes gambles and dramatic swings of fortune. The king of COTA was dethroned by a split-second mistake, a new winner emerged to keep his title defense alive, and a satellite team rider stepped into the championship lead. If one thing is certain, it’s that MotoGP continues to deliver the unexpected. As the series heads to Qatar, fans can savor the fact that the championship fight is closer than ever – and with the Marquez brothers and Bagnaia trading blows, this season’s storyline is only just heating up.