Jorge Martin secured victory in the US MotoGP sprint held at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin on Saturday. In a thrilling final lap, Martin overtook Francesco Bagnaia at turn 12, crossing the finish line in 20 minutes 19.546 seconds and winning by a margin of 0.755 seconds. This marked Martin’s 17th sprint win, extending his record, and his first triumph with Aprilia Racing.
Reflecting on his performance, Martin expressed surprise at his success so early in the season, saying he never imagined winning races again after the Thailand round. He credited Aprilia for significantly improving his performance and stated he feels like a better rider than before.
Meanwhile, Pedro Acosta of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing initially finished third but was demoted to eighth place after receiving an eight-second penalty for low tyre pressure. This adjustment elevated Enea Bastianini to the final podium position.
Following his win, Martin experienced a crash during the cool-down lap while performing a wheelie but emerged unscathed. He humorously noted that while many riders can win, few nearly crash on their way back to the pits. Fortunately, his bike sustained minimal damage.
The race was marked by intense competition and multiple incidents that tested the riders’ resilience. Martin’s decisive late-race maneuver demonstrated his growing confidence with Aprilia and reinforced his status as a championship contender. In contrast, championship leader Marco Bezzecchi endured a difficult start, dropping from second to seventh place early on. He fought back to second but ultimately crashed under pressure from Martin, marking his second sprint failure this season.
Defending champion Marc Marquez briefly rose to second place on the opening lap but crashed, taking pole-sitter Fabio di Giannantonio down with him. As a result, di Giannantonio received a long-lap penalty for the upcoming Grand Prix on Sunday.
