16:08
Q1 ends with Aldeguer on top
That's it for Q1.
Aldeguer and Mir are the riders that have advanced to Q2, while Fernandez was the first rider to miss out.
Fernandez will be joined on the fifth row by LCR duo Moreira and Zarco.
Jorge Martin, 2026 US MotoGP Sprint.
© Gold and Goose
2026 US MotoGP sprint reaction LIVE: Jorge Martin takes shock Aprilia victory
Live coverage of qualifying and the sprint at the 2026 MotoGP US Grand Prix
KEY MOMENTS
- Jorge Martin takes a shock victory, then falls on the slow-down lap!
- Marco Bezzecchi crashes out of a late second place.
- Marc Marquez takes down Fabio di Giannantonio on lap 1 of the Sprint.
- Marco Bezzecchi and Luca Marini given two-place grid drop for Sunday's grand prix
- Fabio Di Giannantonio claimed pole position for the US MotoGP
The 2026 MotoGP United States Grand Prix continues on Saturday 28 March with qualifying and the sprint race at the Circuit of the Americas.
The third round of the 2026 MotoGP season sees the championship return to COTA, having come to the track every year since 2013 except 2020 due to the COVID pandemic.
Reigning world champion Marc Marquez has the most wins of anyone at COTA with seven, and led Friday's practice times despite suffering a huge 190km/h crash at Turn 10 in FP1.
Read more: Why his usual US MotoGP walkover will be harder for Marc Marquez in 2026
The factory Ducati rider was lucky to walk away with just some bruising after the fast crash, which he later said was a result of him attacking the track too aggressively without considering the change in surface from last year.
But Marquez looked much more like the rider we've come to expect on Friday at COTA and heads into Saturday's action chasing a first pole of 2026 and a second sprint win.
Aprilia remained strong on Friday, though it was Trackhouse rider Ai Ogura who led the way for the brand as Marquez's nearest challenger.
Championship leader Marco Bezzecchi was fourth overall after Friday's running, admitting he wasn't fully comfortable on his RS-GP.
But his dominant run in both grands prix so far makes him a big threat during Saturday's action at COTA, with Bezzecchi looking to reverse his lacklustre sprint fortunes thus far in 2026.
Friday's action at COTA was overshadowed by a raft of crashes in Practice, though cooler conditions are expected for Saturday's qualifying, following blistering temperatures in PR.
The grid will be without its full compliment of 22 riders, after Tech3 KTM's Maverick Vinales withdrew ahead of Practice due to the left shoulder he injured in a crash in Germany last year.
A screw fitted to secure the injury has worked its way loose, with Vinales facing an operation in the coming days to correct this, taking advantage of the long break between COTA and the Spanish Grand Prix due to Qatar being postponed as a result of the Iran war.
2026 US MotoGP Saturday schedule
Qualifying - 3:50pm GMT
Sprint (10 laps) - 8:10pm GMT
28 Mar 2026
16:16
The battle for pole is underway at COTA
Q2 is underway at COTA. Who will grab pole for the United Stated Grand Prix?
16:05
Aldeguer goes quickest
Aldeguer has done what Johann Zarco and Quartararo couldn't which is remove Mir from top spot.
The Gresini rider has set a time of 2m00.977s.
16:03
Fernandez stays second but there are plenty of red sectors, currently.
16:03
Fernandez is putting pressure on Mir's fastest time, as is Quartararo following his earlier fall.
16:00
It's now or never for Q2 hopefuls
There's just five minutes remaining of Q1 as Mir continues to lead from Raul Fernandez.
15:58
Mir goes top
Mir goes even faster on his second lap, while Fabio Quartararo has gone down at turn 15.
It was a nasty fall for the French rider, who was nearly hit by his M1.
15:55
Aldeguer is the first rider to come across the line but his time is immediately beaten by Pramac Yamaha rider Toprak Razgatlioglu.
15:51
Q1 is underway at COTA
The first part of qualifying for the US MotoGP is underway.
Some big names including Raul Fernandez, Joan Mir, Fabio Quartararo and Fermin Aldeguer are all taking part in Q1.
15:44
US MotoGP: Final Practice Results
2026 US MotoGP, COTA - Saturday Practice Results
Jorge Martin, 2026 US MotoGP.
© Gold and Goose
15:43
Martin tops FP2
That's it for FP2 at COTA.
The top ten was:
- Martin
- Marc Marquez
- Bagnaia
- Bezzecchi
- Di Giannantonio
- Acosta
- Aldeguer
- Mir
- Alex Marquez
- Fernandez
15:38
The crashes keep on coming in Texas, and this time it's Ogura that goes down once again.
That's Ogura's second fall in this session.
15:38
Martin to the top
Martin goes fastest after setting a time of 2m01.563s.
15:36
Moreira is next to go down at turn two, while Marc Marquez has just replaced Bezzecchi at the top of the timingsheets.
15:34
Crash for Alex Marquez and Bezzecchi
Fast crash for Gresini's Alex Marquez at turn two as the front-end washes out.
He's not the only one though, as Bezzecchi has also gone down which could be big news ahead of qualifying. The Italian's leathers have been heavily damaged from the front-end fall.
15:28
Rookie watch!
Diogo Moreira is currently up in eighth place aboard his LCR Honda.
Toprak Razgatlioglu is 12th as it stands with 12 minutes of FP2 remaining.
15:25
Marco Bezzecchi leads the way
15 minutes gone of the 30-minute FP2 session and it's world championship leader Marco Bezzecchi that leads the way for Aprilia.
Fabio Di Giannantonio is second ahead of fellow Ducati star Francesco Bagnaia.
15:20
Ai Ogura has crashed
Trackhouse Racing's Ai Ogura has suffered an early fall at the final corner.
The Japanese rider lost the front-end of his Aprilia but was able to quickly re-join the action.
15:16
FP2 will conclude at 15:40pm UK time, before qualifying takes place at 15:50pm.
15:14
US MotoGP FP2 is underway at COTA
Good afternoon everyone. The final MotoGP practice ahead of the United States Grand Prix is underway at COTA.