COTA RATINGS: Bagnaia shocker but which five riders were given worst grades

Crash.net journalist Robert Jones runs through the MotoGP rider ratings after a chaotic American MotoGP at COTA.

17 Apr 2023

Jack Miller, Red Bull KTM MotoGP COTA 2023

Alex Rins - 10

(Qualified 2nd, finished 1st)

(Sprint race result - P2)

Following a season-best result of second in the Sprint, Rins showed once again why he’s one of the most feared MotoGP riders when battling for victory. The LCR Honda rider applied huge amounts of pressure to Francesco Bagnaia while the world champion was leading, before forcing a mistake from the Italian at turn 2. Rins, from that point on, never looked like losing the win as he dominated the closing stages.

Luca Marini - 9

(Qualified 3rd, finished 2nd)

(Sprint race result - P7)

Unable to take advantage of his top three result in qualifying following a bad start to the Sprint, Marini made no such errors in the Grand Prix. Marini was fast throughout as he built more and more pressure on Quartararo before overtaking the Yamaha star on the run to turn 12. That was enough for Marini to seal his best result in the premier class.

Fabio Quartararo - 9

Fabio Quartararo , MotoGP race, Grand Prix Of The Americas, 16 April

(Qualified 7th, finished)

(Sprint race result - P19)

Yet to stand on the podium after five races, Quartararo was brilliant as he got everything out of his Yamaha at a circuit they’ve failed to win at since it became a mainstay on the calendar. The 2021 world champion made a crucial mistake in the Sprint but was unflappable when it mattered in the main race, although he still lacked the pace of Marini.

Maverick Vinales - 8

(Qualified 8th, finished 4th)

(Sprint race result - P10)

Vinales should have done better overall as his race pace was extremely impressive, however, two poor starts in both races meant he was out of the podium battle very early on. Still, Vinales showed grit in order to claim P4.

Miguel Oliveira - 8

(Qualified 15th, finished 5th)

(Sprint race result - P8)

After missing the Argentina MotoGP due to injury, Oliveira was immediately on form as secured his best result of the season. The Portuguese rider was able to challenge Vinales for much of the race before losing touch at the end.

Marco Bezzecchi - 7

Marco Bezzecchi, Sprint race, Grand Prix of the Americas, 15 April

(Qualified 5th, finished 6th)

(Sprint race result - P6)

Looking set to hand the championship lead back over to Bagnaia prior to his mistake, Bezzecchi instead leaves COTA with an 11 point lead on what was a difficult weekend for Bezzecchi. The positives for the Italian is that a tough weekend still resulted in two P6 results.

Johann Zarco - 6

(Qualified 9th, finished 7th)

(Sprint race result - P11)

After going backwards in the Sprint, Zarco used the longer race format to his advantage. Pace early on in races remains a problem area for the Frenchman, who is still only 20 points off the championship lead in fifth.

Franco Morbidelli - 6

(Qualified 14th, finished 8th)

(Sprint race result - P14)

A quiet race, although one that was very productive, Morbidelli was able to go forward and claim another strong points finish after an impressive performance in Argentina. Qualifying and the Sprint were an issue for the Italian though, which is why a grade of 6 is handed out.

Fabio Di Giannantonio - 6

(Qualified 16th, finished 9th)

(Sprint race result - P17)

Like Morbidelli, Di Giannantonio was one of the big movers during the race as he gained a total of eight positions. Some of that was due to crashes ahead of him, but nonetheless top ten results have been a rare sight for the Italian.

Augusto Fernandez - 7

(Qualified 20th, finished 10th)

(Sprint race result - P16)

With the name of the game being to avoid crashes on a day where those with much more experience struggled, Fernandez secured his first top ten of his MotoGP career.

Brad Binder - 4

(Qualified 11th, finished 13th)

(Sprint race result - P5)

Finishing behind test riders Michele Pirro and Jonas Folger, Binder looked set for a top ten before crashing out just after mid-race distance. While it was his first fall of the weekend, KTM struggled to show the same consistency as Portimao and Argentina, as did Binder in the main race despite a very solid Sprint.

Jorge Martin - 3

(Qualified 12th, DNF)

(Sprint race result - P3)

A superb effort in the Sprint, especially since Martin has been struggling with illness since landing in America, the Spaniard failed to replicate that as he instead took out Alex Marquez. Martin crashed on lap one at turn seven before collecting the Gresini rider.

Jack Miller - 2

(Qualified 10th, DNF)

(Sprint race result - P9)

Just one point was scored for Miller on a weekend where he crashed six times. Yes, that’s right, six. It’s the most falls in a single weekend for the Australian.

Francesco Bagnaia - 3

Francesco Bagnaia, Sprint race, Grand Prix of the Americas, 15 April

(Qualified 1st, DNF)

(Sprint race result - P1)

After a sensational performance in the Sprint, Bagnaia threw away the potential for a second double after crashing from the lead. After an unforced error in Argentina, Bagnaia proved that he’s not void of making big, big mistakes. Leading from Rins, Bagnaia eventually succumbed to the pressure that was being applied by the LCR Honda rider. The same grade as Martin was handed out due to the severity of his mistake.

Aleix Espargaro - 3

(Qualified 6th, DNF)

(Sprint race result - P4)

A very solid Sprint race performance at a track he’s openly mentioned as one of his worst, Espargaro looked to have made a breakthrough that could have seen him contend for the podium again. However, that all ended on lap one when he fell at turn 12.

Joan Mir - 2

(Qualified 13th, DNF)

(Sprint race result - P12)

While his former Suzuki teammate went on to win, Mir instead suffered another shocker as he crashed out of a race for the third consecutive weekend. Life as a Honda rider has proved very challenging so far for Mir.

Alex Marquez - 3

(Qualified 4th, DNF)

(Sprint race result - DNF)

Back-to-back DNF’s although the main race crash was as a result of Martin falling and taking him with him. Aside from the mistakes, Marquez was once again very fast.

Takaaki Nakagami - 2

(Qualified 17th, DNF)

(Sprint race result - P13)

Nowehere for most of the weekend in terms of pace, Nakagami’s prove it season in MotoGP has yet to take off as he crashed out and was scoreless throughout the weekend.

Raul Fernandez - 2

(Qualified 19th, DNF)

(Sprint race result - P15)

Again lacking speed compared to Oliveira and the factory Aprilia rider, Fernandez is yet to make the steps forward anticipated which is why his struggles generated another poor score from us.