Plan was to fight for the first corner: Marquez

Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez took victory in the MotoGP race at the Circuit of the Americas on Sunday night.

An elated Marquez said: "The plan was to do exactly what we did: start well and fight into the first corner, take the first few laps a bit easy and then when the tyres start to drop a little bit – that’s when I would start to push.

“It’s exactly what I did and I saw the gap increasing with my lap times in in 2’04 highs, very consistent and comfortable. In the last few laps, I was very tired and it wasn’t easy to keep my concentration but Fabio was far behind and my instincts said he would not risk anything as he’s fighting for the championship.

"It is a great day. I want to say thanks to the whole of HRC and the Repsol Honda Team who have worked so well all weekend. It’s been a hard season to understand everything, I was really looking for this victory because we know we had a good chance here. It was nice to win here for Nicky Hayden and also for the Viñales family. I have known them since I was eight years old and it’s a hard year for them and for the world of racing," he added.

Yamaha MotoGP’s Fabio Quartararo finished second, while Lenovo Ducati’s Franceso Bagnaia came in third.

Quartararo said: "You can imagine how happy I am. I think that we managed to do a really great job. This morning I tried the soft rear, and honestly that was not really a race option for us all weekend, but I felt good. The first 12 laps of the race were the toughest, when I tried to make a gap between me and Jorge. And we did it. This is the best second place that I‘ve ever gotten in my life. It's even better than a victory, to be honest, because I‘m getting closer to my dream.

“It was so emotional because there are only three races left, and I have an over 50-point advantage. At least we made this long flight to leave here with a great result. I will now go back home and relax with my family for a few days. I will enjoy those moments with them a lot. I think that we are starting to think in a different way now, because the championship's end is getting closer. This is my first time really talking about it, but things are looking good," he added.

Bagnaia said: "We couldn't do more than this. We gave our best until the end and took another important podium, so we can only be satisfied. Right from the start, it was a complicated weekend for us, given the track conditions, but we still managed to get a great result. I also have to thank Jack because he let me through when he was in trouble, and I had to make one overtake less.

“For sure, we lost some points today to Quartararo, and now the championship fight is getting tough, but I'm not too worried about it. We're working well and improving race by race. Now we're already thinking about the next Grand Prix where, of course, we'll try again,” he added.

Quartararo leads the championship with 254 points, while Bagnaia has 202 points with Ecstar Suzuki’s Joan Mir third with 175 points and Bagnaia’s teammate Jack Miller fourth on 149 points.