Five things we learned at the MotoGP United States GP

It’s not often that the United States Grand Prix, taking place as it does in a city that prides itself on weirdness, represents a shift towards normality in the MotoGP world.

But the way this year’s calendar has panned out, it feels like the conclusions drawn in Texas carry a little more weight than usual. Sure, we still haven’t had a European race and caution is always advised under those circumstances. But this was the first 2026 weekend on the standard rear tyre casing, the weather was solid and there were no sinkholes or delays to contend with.

One thing that didn't change? Marco Bezzecchi leading from start to finish to win the grand prix for Aprilia. That he is the man to beat is painfully clear to all concerned - but here are a few other things we learned from the US GP weekend. 

Aprilia has the best bike in MotoGP

Marco Bezzecchi, Aprilia Racing

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This may not seem like a particularly insightful observation. But many have been slow and reluctant to acknowledge Ducati losing its stranglehold on MotoGP - a phenomenon that began to emerge during the course of last summer. They've been helped in that regard by Aprilia riders and top brass deliberately keeping a lid on expectations.

Until now, that is. Because not even Aprilia CEO Massimo Rivola could bring himself to trot out the old 'Ducati is still the bike to beat' line after another 1-2 finish for the factory team. Straight after the race, he said it out loud: "Now it's clear that the best bike so far is the Aprilia." Ducati riders, too, are coming out and telling it like it is.

To win at COTA, which throws bikes nearly every type of challenge with its long straight and mixed bag of 20 corners, you need a true all-rounder of a machine. So for Aprilia to have won there on the 'normal' Michelin rear is a true indicator of where the marque is at. But there was more to it than that.

This was nothing like the outlier result Maverick Vinales produced at the same track two years ago. Not only is it consistent with Aprilia's form, but it was a true team effort. Jorge Martin was right up there, taking sprint honours on Saturday. And Ai Ogura set fastest grand prix lap aboard the independent Trackhouse bike. In all probability, it would have been a 1-2-3 for Noale if his bike hadn't failed. 

About that sprint win: Martin's success finally broke Aprilia's 2026 duck in the shorter races. It came in significantly cooler conditions than Friday and Sunday, and hinged on using a tyre compound that the rest of the field wasn't brave enough to try. This looks suspiciously like a bike that can handle a multitude of challenges.

Seeing Marc Marquez under pressure is weird

Crashes and run-ins with Di Giannantonio made it a painful weekend for Marc Marquez

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If it's odd seeing Ducati having to give best to another manufacturer on a regular basis, seeing Marc Marquez looking so human is positively bizarre. 

For the second grand prix in succession, MotoGP's benchmark rider hasn't quite looked like one. The Marquez way has always been to transcend machinery deficits. He's built a legacy on being able to ride anything. But he hasn't had an answer for the best Aprilias this year.

More painfully for Marquez, he was defeated by a man on the same bike for a second week in a row. Fabio Di Giannantonio was a thorn in his side this weekend, just like he had been in Brazil. The VR46 rider has been cheekily fighting Marquez on track of late, showing no respect for legend status. That ultimately forced a mistake from Marquez early in the sprint.

Mortifyingly, Marc then had to apologise to Di Giannantonio after the fall took the Italian out of the race. And the subsequent long lap penalty was enough to ruin his Sunday - although he did ride smart to salvage a respectable fifth place. But the pesky Diggia still came home one spot ahead of him!

All this came on top of a big crash in practice on Friday morning - another moment that made Marquez look a little rattled at a place that is supposed to be his stomping ground.

Let's not forget his arguably quite desperate move (ultimately judged illegal) on future team-mate Pedro Acosta at the Buriram sprint. Whatever the exact cocktail of reasons may be - injuries, mojo, bike - Marquez appears to be feeling the heat in 2026. It's a strange thing to behold. And it's intriguing to ponder how he's going to turn the tide.

Joan Mir can't go on like this

The pressure is mounting on Mir at Honda

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Six starts, one finish. That's Joan Mir's 2026 record in a nutshell. And that comes on top of a 2025 season riddled with falls and other assorted DNFs. 

There are other riders who crash more over a weekend than Mir does, but the Spaniard seems to have become a specialist in doing so during races. He has become a very different version of the man who won the 2020 world championship by virtue of an ultra-consistent finishing record.

Granted, the optics are bad for Mir as his peak performances are better than those of any other Honda rider. When he goes down, there's often an encouraging position on the line. That earns him headlines and makes people tear their hair out. But he is quick to point out that the alternative is to bring it home quietly somewhere in the lower reaches of the top 10. And enough Honda riders are doing that already - on a good day.

In that sense, Mir has made a rod for his own back by mostly being faster than the likes of team-mate Luca Marini or the LCR duo of Diogo Moreira and Johann Zarco. Being a champion and a winner doesn't help either - it's harder for him to make peace with settling for a middling finish. 

With all that said, it's not really a good look for Honda to have its only bike in the lead camera frame constantly falling down. Nor will Mir's bosses be thrilled about him telling media that he'll leave a margin for error just as soon as the bike allows him that luxury. 

This is a rider whose future is not yet secure - and whose high-risk approach must have at least some potential employers asking serious questions. Continuing in this vein might sneak him a cheeky win somewhere, but it doesn't seem a good idea for his career in the long term. 

Ai Ogura really could be on for a stellar year this time

After a false start in his rookie season, can Ogura deliver on his potential?

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The rookie version of Ai Ogura was the talk of the town this time last season. He earned a fifth place at the Buriram opener and continued to impress throughout the American flyaways. But when he got back to Europe, he started to lose his way. Then he got injured at Silverstone and that promising start became a distant memory.

And so to take two for the Trackhouse Aprilia rider. While qualifying and opening laps have left a little to be desired for the Japanese rider in 2026, he has raced remarkably well on Sundays. Thailand produced fifth once again, as did Brazil. Then came Austin: a next-level charge through the field that looked set to end in a breakthrough podium. Only a technical failure robbed him... but at least nobody can take his fastest lap away!

After an even more impressive start than he had in 2025, can this version of Ogura avoid slipping out of the picture when MotoGP returns to Europe? Having a year's experience under his belt and having tried all the tracks on MotoGP machinery are strong points in his favour. 

Another key difference to last season is that Ogura currently has the best bike on the grid at his disposal (see above). He also has two experienced riders at the factory team, Marco Bezzecchi and Jorge Martin, pushing the project forward - not to mention a race-winning team-mate in Raul Fernandez. This time last year, remember, Martin was absent, Fernandez was battling and Bezzecchi was only just getting to grips with his new mount. It wasn't the ideal support structure for a rookie.

MotoGP has been without a Japanese star for far too long. Hopes that Ogura would be that star in 2025 were dashed - but he looks a better bet this time around.

Take injury talk with a pinch of salt

Talk of injury didn't seem to hold back those riders who are the walking wounded

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By the end of the COTA weekend, Jorge Martin's remarks about the fitness challenge he would face on this physically demanding circuit had been all but forgotten. After all, he had put on a late charge to win the sprint race, and also hung on just fine to complete an Aprilia 1-2 over the full distance on Sunday. 

It was also easy to forget that Marc Marquez, already widely regarded as less than optimally fit coming into the weekend, had been thoroughly beaten up by a high-speed crash on Friday morning. Having made his way up from outside the top 10 following his long lap penalty, Marquez was among the quicker men in the field in the dying stages of the race. And he didn't exactly look drained as he battled with Enea Bastianini and Francesco Bagnaia to claim fifth place.

There was also little evidence of Fabio Di Giannantonio's warm-up accident in Brazil having affected his performance over the weekend. He scorched to another pole position, didn't get to do much in the sprint anyway after Marquez knocked him off, then finished the grand prix as top Ducati rider - albeit in a disappointing fourth place as the Bologna bikes chewed their rear rubber.

Absolutely none of this is to make light of anybody's injuries or the pain that they may quietly endure. Nor would it be fair to accuse any rider of raising the subject as some kind of psychological tactic. Of the three, only Martin showed any real interest in talking about their short- or long-term ailments in America, and even that was before track action began. Di Giannantonio expressly said before the weekend that he didn't want to use the state of his arm as any kind of excuse. Most riders take a similar attitude.

The only point to make here is that while long-term injuries definitely are a factor when it comes to speed in general, we should be cautious about the idea that a broken rider is going to tail off over a long race. It's starting to look like modern-day painkillers can get you through 45 minutes of MotoGP action no matter what's troubling you.

MotoGP now has a four-week break until the next round at Jerez for those injured riders to recover

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