LIVE UPDATES: MotoGP FP1 & FP2 from the Circuit of the Americas

Round four of the 2022 MotoGP World Championship heads to Austin, Texas, for what will be its ninth race at the Circuit of the Americas. 

Heading there as the championship leader for the first time in his career is Aprilia rider Aleix Espargaro, who took his maiden MotoGP win last time out. 

A third-ever premier class pole - his first for Aprilia - was then backed up in brilliant style after overcoming a very determined and metronomic pacesetter in Jorge Martin. 

While it wasn’t a win for Martin or Alex Rins in Argentina, it was a first podium of the season for both riders which has catapulted them into the championship hunt. 

The big news heading into this weekend is the return of Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez. 

Since making its debut appearance on the Calendar in 2013, Austin has been dominated by Marquez, as the Spaniard has won seven out of eight races. 

The only one Marquez failed to win was in 2019 when he crashed out from a 4-plus second lead. 

Following an epic battle with Valentino Rossi, it was Suzuki’s Rins who claimed the victory that day, making him the only rider to win at the Austin circuit in all three categories. 

Looking to continue his impressive start to the season will be KTM rider Brad Binder. The South African claimed P6 at the Termas de Rio Hondo Circuit, a result good enough to move him past Enea Bastianini for second in the title standings. 

A rider very much in need of a bounce-back performance is reigning world champion Fabio Quartararo. 

While the Yamaha man’s pace was good in Argentina, a poor start saw the Frenchman swallowed up into the mid-field pack, thus compromising his race in terrible fashion as the M1 is a package that continues to struggle with overtaking due to a lack of top speed.