Marc Marquez names two KTM riders who “can be close” at COTA MotoGP

Marc Marquez expects Peꦐdro Acosta and Maverick Vinales to challꦜenge Ducati dominance at COTA.

Marc Marquez, 2025 Americas MotoGP at COTA
Marc Marquez, 2025 Americas MotoGP at COTA

MotoGP title leader 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Marc Marquez led an all-Ducati sweep of the 🐎top five during a damp Frid🐷ay practice at COTA.

With the other Desmosedici of factory team-mate Francesco Bagnaia 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:also in the top ten and claiming to have k꧒ept “a lot” of margin in the dicey conditions, Ducati are again the clear favourites.

But Marquez also identif🥀ied KTM riders Pedro Acosta an🦄d Maverick Vinales as potential threats.

Vinales beat then-rookie Acosta to victory at COTA last season while riding꧒ for Aprilia and enjoyed his best session on the RC16 with eighth place, just behind Acosta, on Friday.

“Tomorrow we will see more of the reality,” Marquez said of the dry foreꦿcast for the remainder of the event.

“I believe that maybe Acosta and Vinales can be close, because here there are a lot of stop-and-go coꦍrners and KTM i𒀰s good there, especially in acceleration from first gear they are really fast.

“So I expect a strong Vinales and Acosta. And the rest, as we see todayღ, all Ducatis will be the🐼re on the top.”

Marquez - who will try to extend his unbeaten run as a Ducati Lenovo rider to five in a row during Saturday’s Sprint race - rebounded from a wet morning highside to claim the top spot by over 0.7s 🌞in the afternoon.

“I did a mistake when it was noᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚt the time to do that kind of mistake in the first laps of F♑P1,” Marquez said.

“But it can happen. Extra confidence, I was flowing on 🧜the track and 💟riding like there was no water.

“Then there w꧟as a lot of water on that co👍rner, and I had a lot of aquaplaning.”

Slick tyres then made ꦇan appearance from the midway stage of the afternoon.

“I felt good with the slick tyres but [0.7s] is not the real distance, bec🗹ause tomorrow everything will be more ti🅺ght. But it's good to start.”

Not only has Marquez won every race so far this year, but he has also beaten younger bro𓆉ther Alex to both pole positions.

Alex was fourth fastest for Gresini on Friday.

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