Round 3: Americas GP – Francesco Bagnaia Dedicates Victory to His Team: “Today’s Win Is for Them” | MotoGP 2025
Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) celebrated a hard-fought and emotional victory at Circuit of the Americas (COTA), claiming his first-ever win at the Texas circuit. He dedicated the win to his team, highlighting their tireless effort and technical brilliance that made the result possible.
A Race Won Through Focus and Strategy
Marc Márquez had set a blistering pace in the early laps but crashed out on lap 6. From that moment on, Bagnaia shifted into full focus, pushing hard while keeping a close eye on the advancing Álex Márquez behind him. With a clear race strategy, precise execution, and careful risk management, Bagnaia managed to stay ahead to take the win.
Francesco Bagnaia:
“I’m really happy, and this result is something I dedicate to my incredible team. They always do amazing work, both mechanically and technically, and thanks to them I always feel comfortable on the bike. Today, it was clear that Marc was faster at the beginning, but after his crash, I pushed as hard as I could to stay ahead of Álex.”
He admitted that COTA has not traditionally been a strong track for him, making this victory all the more meaningful.
“The strategy was very clear. This has never been my favorite track—this is my first win here, in fact—but I had a great feeling today, and I want to keep this momentum going. We’re not done yet; I want to keep evolving. The setup today was spot on. Marc was using the curbs a lot, but I was afraid of slipping on them, so I avoided them entirely.”
Risk Management and Awareness Were Key
After witnessing Márquez’s crash—likely caused by a wet curb—Bagnaia doubled down on his cautious approach, sticking to his strategy of avoiding the curbs while still pushing hard enough to stay ahead of Álex Márquez.
“When I saw Marc go down, it confirmed that the curbs were dangerous, so I stuck with my strategy of avoiding them. Álex was closing in, so if I wanted to win, I had to keep pushing hard. I knew what Marc’s strategy was—he didn’t even sit on the bike on the grid. Turn 1 was already dry at that point, so I chose the same strategy.
“And I have to say, the hot dog I ate in parc fermé after the race… was the best-tasting one ever.” (laughs)
(Photo courtesy of Ducati)