MotoGP of the Americas, Austin - Full Qualifying Results

Fastest Friday time:
Jorge Martin SPA Ducati 2m 2.178s

Official COTA MotoGP records:
Best lap:
Jorge Martin SPA Ducati 2m 2.039s (2022)
Fastest race lap:
Marc Marquez SPA Honda 2m 3.575s (2015)

Francesco Bagnaia snatches pole position for the 2023 Americas MotoGP Sprint and Sunday, ahead of a brilliant effort by LCR Honda's Alex Rins in Austin, Texas.

Bagnaia and Alex Marquez had set identical lap times at the head of the timesheets after the opening run, but when the Spaniard tried to follow the reigning champion out of the pits for the final time attacks Bagnaia stopped to let him by...

But Marquez wasn't giving up and was soon behind Bagnaia again on their out-lap, prompting head shaking in the factory Ducati pits.

Former COTA winner Rins had no such distractions and leapt from seventh to first with a minute to go, while Marquez fell from his Gresini machine and Bagnaia put the earlier hassle behind him to snatch pole with a new record on his last lap.

Bagnaia later said he feels Marquez, who will start fourth, has the pace to fight for victory in the races.

2022 pole man Jorge Martin, battling sickness this weekend, fell in the opening minutes and was forced to run for a marshal ride back to the pits... then fell again.

Jack Miller, looking agitated in the pits during qualifying, also tumbled from his KTM twice in qualifying for a total of five falls this weekend.

Title leader Marco Bezzecchi joined Johann Zarco in advancing through Qualifying 1, the pair claiming fifth and ninth.

Fabio Quartararo was frustrated at more scary moments from his bucking M1 but at least had his best qualifying of the season so far with seventh, between factory Aprilia riders Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Vinales.

The 10-lap COTA Sprint race starts at 15:00 local time.

• Latest Moto3 results from COTA
• Latest Moto2 results from COTA

While Miguel Oliveira and Joan Mir are returning to action this weekend, three riders remain absent due to injuries at last month’s Portimao season opener:

Pol Espargaro is being replaced at Tech3 by KTM test rider Jonas Folger, last year’s COTA winner Enea Bastianini is being replaced by Ducati test rider Michele Pirro and Repsol Honda's Marc Marquez is being replaced by HRC test rider Stefan Bradl.

Marquez has won seven of the previous COTA races, his only defeats coming in 2019 (when he fell from the lead, with Alex Rins taking victory) and 2021 (when he fought from last to sixth after a technical issue at the start).

The MotoGP Court of Appeal is yet to decide if Marquez's double long-lap penalty will be carried over from Argentina to his next event.