The pilots who passed to Q2 in Austin are now known: Jack Miller and Álex Márquez.
Miguel Oliveira, Johann Zarco, Luca Marini, Fabio Quartararo, Raúl Fernández, Takaaki Nakagami, Brad Binder, Joan Mir, Augusto Fernández, Álex Rins, Jack Miller, and Álex Márquez had the ultimate opportunity in Q1 to secure Q2 and make their work easier for the races of this Americas GP!
With no time to lose, the pilots were ready to attack from early on, and certainly one of the favorites for Q2, Brad Binder, who crashed at turn 11 of the American circuit, did not start well.
A big setback to @BradBinder_33's session! 😮
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) April 13, 2024
He's crashed on his first flying lap! 💥
Meanwhile, @alexmarquez73 sets the early benchmark! 👊#AmericasGP 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/OIYzUSH04E
On the other hand, it was the “Álex” duo standing out, with Márquez in first and Rins in second, ahead of Miller and A. Fernández as the main pursuers for now.
Who was determined to move forward was Oliveira, as a Portuguese riding at high speed with three sectors in red and… confirming the position: Oliveira was the fastest on track with a lap in 2:01.844s, a difference of 0.026s to the second, A. Márquez.
The session quickly reached its midpoint and, as usual, the riders headed back to the team garages.
Five minutes before the end, the riders gradually started returning to the track with Q2 in sight: it was now or never!
Álex Márquez, Álex Rins, and Jack Miller all had sectors in red and threatened to take over the first place. There were many changes, with Miller taking the lead, ahead of A. Márquez, Raúl Fernández in third, and Miguel Oliveira dropping to fourth.
Someone in a bad position was Fabio Quartararo, who was in sixth place and trying to reach Q2 but fell near the end.
In the end, Q2 was in the hands of Miller and A. Márquez, giving them the opportunity to fight for the pole position.
