Can he make it 3 wins in a row?
Pecco really is on a roll at the moment, and has the best opportunity to make it three wins as well tomorrow! It wasn’t by a small margin either, as he builds momentum towards the end of the season. If he can do what he did last race, by getting a good start, and building an early lead, he may be able to hold off Quartararo and Marquez, but it won’t be easy. As for the championship, he really needs a disaster for Fabio to have a chance at the title!
Quartararo did a brilliant job, considering how this track looks to be much more suited to the Ducati and Honda. He just needs to be consistent from here on out, to protect his title lead, that being said, he will want to halt the run for Bagnaia, before it is out of control! Marquez didn’t have an ideal session today, so bearing that in mind, a front row start is mega for him. His race pace looks better still, so he should be able to run with the front guys, especially if he takes some risks. Marquez has as good a chance as anyone to be back to winning ways here in Texas!
Martin and Zarco are well placed on the 2nd row, and will want to try and disrupt Fabio’s rhythm tomorrow, just like they did last time. They will need to be wary of the Suzuki’s and Binder behind, but otherwise it will be eyes forward for them. Nakagami is turning into a very strong rider, as he gets to grips with the Honda. I don’t think he will ever match Marc, but he is probably over the year the next best Honda rider. It is unclear where his race pace will be, he could be on for a podium, or battling to stay in the top 10.
Saying that 7th and 8th for Suzuki is a good qualifying, shows just where they have been on a Saturday this year. They had very promising pace in FP4, so they do have a chance of moving through the field, and if things go their way, fighting for a podium or more! I can see both riders being highly motivated to score very well here tomorrow!
In a similar position will be Miller, who looked like odds on favourite for pole earlier today, but didn’t get it right at all when it mattered. His first run was quite slow, and he mistimed his second one, which left him 10th on the grid, despite having had the potential for pole! It could be win it or bin it for Miller tomorrow! On the other hand, it was a great day for Marini, who once again topped Q1 this year. He will be hoping for a strong result in the race.
Morbidelli and Dovizioso were the first to miss out on Q2, however it was a big gap to make up. They will be hoping to move forward in the race. Marquez and Bastiannini will have wanted to be nearer their teammates, as they underperformed today. Finally, it was simply a disaster for Aleix Espargaro, who crashed again today, never got a good lap in, and will start right towards the back. It seems all his mistakes have come on one weekend.
-M
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