Viñales supreme ahead of Acosta and Marquez as Martin crashes - twice

Maverick Viñales has stormed to a sensational pole position at the Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas. The Spaniard annihilated the lap record, becoming the first rider ever to enter the 2-minute bracket at the Circuit Of The Americas. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3) found time late in the session, securing the rookie's first front-row start in the premier class. Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) continues an impressive weekend in Austin and will start the Grand Prix from third after a good lap at the beginning of the session.

A tense end to Q1 and a dramatic start to Q2

After a competitive field battled in Q1, Jack Miller (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), managed to secure a spot in Q2, ready to fight for the pole. Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) also advanced to Q2, setting a time which was just 0.012 slower than the Australian in Q1. The start to Q2 was nothing short of dramatic, with Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) crashing on the first flying lap, remounting and crashing on the second flying lap. However, at the end of the first run, Viñales was the fastest on the track with a 2:01.243.

It was an exciting final five minutes with Viñales finding even more pace – setting a new lap record after setting an unbelievable 2:00.864. Acosta quickly followed into second, as the Spaniard continued to impress the paddock in the third round of the season. Martin ran wide at turn one on the final flying lap, ending any hopes of setting a time good enough to fight for pole. Further back, Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) and Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing) both suffered crashes in the first sector, taking away a chance of improvement.

A competitive grid

An equally impressive second row will be headed by Ducati Lenovo Team’s Francesco Bagnaia, who narrowly missed out on a front-row start by 0.086. Bagnaia’s teammate, Enea Bastianini, has qualified in fifth position, continuing to show a great one-lap pace after securing the pole at the Portuguese GP. After all the drama, Martin will join them on the second row, bringing home a 2:01.511, which was good enough for sixth place.

Espargaro’s best lap time came on lap two, earning the 34-year-old a spot in seventh on the grid and will start the Grand Prix alongside Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team’s Fabio Di Giannantonio. Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing) rounds off the third row in ninth, just 0.873 slower than Viñales' pole position lap. However, some big names are missing, such as Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Brad Binder, who will be charging from 17^th position - the South African will start behind both Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™ riders.

The MotoGP™ field now prepares for the all-important Tissot Sprint, which takes place at 15:00 local time (UTC -5), so make sure you don't miss anything on motogp.com!

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