UPDATED: 2021 Austin MotoGP, COTA, Texas - Full Race Results

Race results from the Austin MotoGP at COTA, round 15 of 18 in the 2021 world championship.
Marc Marquez, Grand Prix of the Americas race, 3 October 2021
Marc Marquez, Grand Prix of the Americas race, 3 October 2021
© Gold and Goose

Updated after Joan Mir was penalised for contact with Jack Miller on the final lap, dropping the Suzuki rider behind Miller in eighth.

Marc Marquez reclaims his COTA crown with a seventh MotoGP win at the Texan track, and second of the season, in the 2021 Americas Grand Prix.

Meanwhile, second place for Fabio Quartararo means the Frenchman will have his first chance to wrap up the world championship next time at Misano, with title rival Francesco Bagnaia recovering to a distant third.

Marquez had snatched the holeshot from fellow front-row starters Quartararo and Bagnaia at Turn 1.

But while Bagnaia, chasing a third win after a third pole in a row, surprisingly slipped back to sixth, Quartararo crucially kept pace with Marquez in the early stages. 

When Marquez began building a lead, rookie star Jorge Martin made an attempt to pass Quartararo, but the Monster Yamaha rider held firm.

All riders chose the hard front tyre, with Jack Miller - frustrated at being left tenth on the grid after dominating practice - was the only rider to fit the hard rear. All other riders were on the soft rear except Valentino Rossi and Luca Marini, on the medium.

After some careful early laps, Miller carved steadily through the field and briefly threatened Martin for a podium at the midway stage of the 20 laps, only to then lose pace and drop back towards team-mate Bagnaia.

With 8 laps to go, Miller waved Bagnaia through into fourth place with Alex Rins, Enea Bastianini and Joan Mir later demoting the Australian all the way back to eighth - after a bit of help from Mir.

Miller was fuming after last-lap contact from Mir (again) forced him wide and cost him places, making his feelings clear as he grabbed the reigning world champion's helmet and shouted a warning into the Suzuki rider's face and on the slowdown lap.

Martin, struggling in the closing laps, was caught and then passed by the recovering Bagnaia. Martin was then given a long-lap penalty for not surrendering enough time when he ran off track, leaving him fifth.

Meanwhile, Marquez rode into the distance, his lead reaching over four-seconds for his and Honda's second MotoGP win since last July's Jerez arm injuries.

Quartararo had little need to risk his title lead in pursuit of Marquez and, having begun the race 48 points ahead of Bagnaia, is now 52 points in front of the Italian and will be crowned champion if he can keep his lead above 50-points next time out.

Warm-up leader Takaaki Nakagami fell from an early sixth behind Bagnaia, with Johann Zarco - riding for the first time since arm pump surgery - then tumbling at Turn 1. Aleix Espargaro completed a brusing weekend with a fifth fall from his Aprilia.

Mir had a Kevin Schwantz-style helmet and racing number this weekend.

MotoGP was returning to COTA for the first time since the 2019 event, after which further resurfacing work was carried out on around 40% of the track (Turns 1-2, 9-10, 16-19, plus the back straight) to alleviate bumps.

However, bikes and riders were still being badly kicked around, especially through Turns 2 and 10, and more work will be needed if MotoGP is to return in 2022.

COTA has the most corners (20) in MotoGP, including the slowest of the season at just 50km/h (Turn 11). The following back straight is the longest in MotoGP at 1.2km and ends with the hardest braking on the calendar, from over 330km/h to less than 60km/h.

Maverick Vinales withdrew from the COTA event after the tragic death of his young cousin Dean Berta Vinales in last weekend's Jerez WorldSSP300 race.

The next MotoGP round will be the second Misano event, and Valentino Rossi's final home race, on October 22-24...

Austin MotoGP, COTA - Race Results
PosRiderNatTeamTime/Diff
1Marc MarquezSPARepsol Honda (RC213V)41m 41.435s
2Fabio QuartararoFRAMonster Yamaha (YZR-M1)+4.679s
3Francesco BagnaiaITADucati Team (GP21)+8.547s
4Alex RinsSPASuzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR)+11.098s
5Jorge MartinSPAPramac Ducati (GP21)*+11.752s
6Enea BastianiniITAAvintia Ducati (GP19)*+13.269s
7Jack MillerAUSDucati Team (GP21)+14.722s
8Joan MirSPASuzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR)+13.406s
9Brad BinderRSARed Bull KTM (RC16)+15.832s
10Pol EspargaroSPARepsol Honda (RC213V)+20.265s
11Miguel OliveiraPORRed Bull KTM (RC16)+23.055s
12Alex MarquezSPALCR Honda (RC213V)+24.743s
13Andrea DoviziosoITAPetronas Yamaha (YZR-M1)+25.307s
14Luca MariniITASky VR46 Avintia Ducati (GP19)*+26.853s
15Valentino RossiITAPetronas Yamaha (YZR-M1)+28.055s
16Iker LecuonaSPAKTM Tech3 (RC16)+30.989s
17Takaaki NakagamiJPNLCR Honda (RC213V)+35.251s
18Danilo PetrucciITAKTM Tech3 (RC16)+42.239s
19Franco MorbidelliITAMonster Yamaha (YZR-M1)+49.854s
 Aleix EspargaroSPAAprilia Gresini (RS-GP)DNF
 Johann ZarcoFRAPramac Ducati (GP21)DNF

* Rookie
Official COTA MotoGP records:
Best lap:
Marc Marquez SPA Honda 2m 2.135s (2015)
Fastest race lap:
Marc Marquez SPA Honda 2m 3.375s (2014)

By Peter McLaren

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