2025 Americas MotoGP, COTA - Friday Practice Results

* Rookie

Official COTA MotoGP Records:

Best lap: Maverick Vinales Aprilia 2m 0.864s (2024)

Fastest race lap: Maverick Vinales Aprilia 2m 2.575s (2024)

After a soaking FP1, a dry line developed on the Austin circuit during the afternoon hour.

Jack Miller was the first to swap from wet tyres to slicks and sat 3.4s clear of the field at the midway stage.

But lap times continued improving with Marc Marquez, seeking his eighth COTA win this weekend, setting a 2m 2.929s just seconds before the chequered flag.

Fabio di Giannantonio then made it a GP25 one-two, albeit 0.736s behind the red machine.

VR46 team-mate and morning leader Franco Morbidelli was third. 

Marc’s younger brother Alex and rookie Gresini team-mate Fermin Aldeguer completed an all-Ducati top five.

Miller was the top Yamaha in sixth ahead of the leading KTM of Pedro Acosta.

Marquez's factory team-mate Francesco Bagnaia hung on to the final top ten place for direct access to Saturday’s Qualifying 2, as the slowest of the Ducatis.

Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha), Brad Binder (KTM), Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia), Ai Ogura (Trackhouse Aprilia) and Luca Marini (Honda) will be among those fighting for the two transfer places in Q1 tomorrow.

Dry weather is expected for the rest of the COTA weekend.

* Rookie

Official COTA MotoGP Records:

Best lap: Maverick Vinales Aprilia 2m 0.864s (2024)

Fastest race lap: Maverick Vinales Aprilia 2m 2.575s (2024)

Franco Morbidelli leads a soaking wet opening practice for the 2025 Americas MotoGP at COTA, as title leader Marc Marquez suffers his first crash of the season.

As forecast, rain doused the Austin circuit on Friday morning, creating the first wet session of the year.

Marquez, seeking to extend his unbeaten run as a factory Ducati rider at one of his most successful tracks, was soon tussling for the top spot with the likes of Jack Miller and VR46's Morbidelli.

The Spaniard had just returned to the top, with 15 of 45 minutes gone, when his Desmosedici snapped sideways at Turn 2, flicking him into a fast highside.

Fortunately unhurt, Marquez helped push his machine onto a waiting trailer, which towed him back to the paddock.

Younger brother Alex Marquez, reigning COTA winner Maverick Vinales and Francesco Bagnaia then took turns at the top.

Marc Marquez was soon battling for P1 again on his return to action but couldn’t match the late session pace of Argentina podium finisher Morbidelli and Pramac's Miller.

Johann Zarco (LCR Honda), Pedro Acosta (KTM), Bagnaia (Ducati) and Alex Marquez (Gresini Ducati) completed the top seven.

Maverick Vinales, who swept to a perfect double for Aprilia at COTA last season, also featured on top of the timesheets on his way to a morale-boosting eighth for Tech3 KTM.

Injured reigning MotoGP champion Jorge Martin is present at COTA as a spectator ahead of a possible Aprilia debut next time out in Qatar.

The Spaniard watched from the pits as team-mate Marco Bezzecchi’s weekend got off to a nightmare start with a spluttering technical issue on his out lap… Then again with his spare bike.

Bez’s FP1 woes continued with a highside at Turn 5, then more technical gremlins when he returned on his other bike. The Italian's horrid session was complete with a terrible practice start.

Rookie star Ai Ogura also had an FP1 to forget on the Trackhouse machine.

Aprilia test rider Lorenzo Savadori is again replacing Martin, with Yamaha test rider Augusto Fernandez making his M1 MotoGP debut in place of injured Pramac rider Miguel Oliveira.

Fernandez, a best of 10th during his previous Austin MotoGP appearances for Tech3 KTM, matched that position with an impressive showing in FP1.

The weather is expected to improve as the weekend goes on, but it remains to be seen what conditions the riders will face in this afternoon’s Practice.

That session, which also decides the top ten riders with direct Qualifying 2 access, takes place from 3-4pm local time.