Tire drama at MotoGP Americas – Marquez triggers pre-start chaos

According to MotoSan, the 2025 MotoGP Americas race start at Circuit of The Americas (COTA) faced a 15-minute delay — a situation triggered by Marc Marquez’s sudden decision to switch bikes.

From the entire grid, only three riders opted for dry tires — Ai Ogura, Enea Bastianini, and Brad Binder. Marquez’s decision sparked a chain reaction as nine other riders followed his strategy to switch bikes moments before the start.

“It was a rather complicated situation, because fifteen minutes before the start we didn’t know whether the track conditions were wet or dry,” stated Davide Tardozzi, Ducati manager.

“Honestly with Ai Ogura, we decided to take the risk with slick tires because I saw that the rain was slightly subsiding and the asphalt was drying quickly,” he added.

The uncertain track conditions forced teams to split strategies — as seen in the Trackhouse Aprilia team, where Raul Fernandez chose wet tires while his teammate opted for a different approach.