Austin penalties reshaped results
Austin’s MotoGP weekend saw big on-track penalties: Pedro Acosta lost a podium after an 8‑second tire‑pressure penalty and Marc Márquez picked up a long‑lap penalty for contact — both moves reshuffled final placings at COTA ( ). Canal+ has already posted full highlight reels of the frenetic Grand Prix of the Americas for viewers who missed the drama (paddock-gp.com).
Pedro Acosta was dropped from P3 to P8 in the Tissot Sprint after stewards found his KTM ran below the permitted tyre‑pressure window and handed an eight‑second post‑race time penalty, promoting Enea Bastianini to the final Sprint podium. (motogp.com)) The FIM stewards ruled Marc Márquez “caused a crash” with Fabio Di Giannantonio at Turn 12 during the Sprint and imposed a long‑lap penalty to be taken in the Grand Prix proper. (crash.net)) Despite that sanction, Márquez recovered to finish fifth in Sunday’s Grand Prix after serving the long‑lap penalty, with race reports noting the time loss still cost him places. (motorsport.com)) Qualifying disputes reshaped Sunday’s grid too: Marco Bezzecchi and Luca Marini were each given two‑place drops for impeding Marc Márquez in Q2, moving Bezzecchi off the front row and promoting Francesco Bagnaia and Pedro Acosta. (motogp.com)) The weekend ended with Marco Bezzecchi claiming the US Grand Prix win — his fifth consecutive premier‑class victory — Jorge Martín second and Pedro Acosta third in the main race, meaning penalties across the weekend altered Sprint podiums, the starting grid and race narratives at COTA. (motogp.com))
