Dirty air, aero gaps hamper Márquez as Aprilia posts 1-2

Marc Márquez’s weekend at the United States Grand Prix at COTA was defined more by penalties, aero and injury issues than by his finishing position. A Sprint crash with Fabio Di Giannantonio earned him a mandatory long‑lap penalty — a sanction Márquez said resulted from a risky pass attempt — that cost him exactly 2.505 seconds when taken on lap 4 and dropped him to 11th early in the race. He recovered to fifth after an extended scrap with Enea Bastianini, finishing just 0.143 seconds clear of the Italian. Márquez said rivals “increase the intensity” when they race him and that Sprint mistakes and first‑lap penalties carry over to the main race.

Aerodynamics and “dirty air” compounded Márquez’s problems at COTA. He told reporters being stuck in dirty air made it “practically impossible” to ride competitively and estimated the effect at roughly a second per lap. The race also underlined wider technical gaps: Aprilia completed a one-two with Marco Bezzecchi (who won, Aprilia’s third straight factory win) and Jorge Martin, while Ducati staff acknowledged tire-wear problems at COTA and introduced short-term Aprilia-style rear aero and leg wings.

Ducati technical staff and analysts warned the team is playing catch-up after Aprilia’s winter step. Team principal Davide Tardozzi said further engineering updates are expected by Jerez as Ducati tries to close the gap. Tardozzi added Márquez was “not in good shape” following shoulder injuries sustained in Indonesia and will use the break before Jerez to work on his shoulder. Márquez said, “It’s me who’s missing, not the bike,” complained he lacked feel in the opening laps, that fresh tires made the Desmosedici feel “aggressive,” and that he needed six to ten laps to ride competitively. Despite showing strong mid-race pace — Tardozzi highlighted he could gain roughly eight tenths over 5–6 laps — Márquez sat fifth in the championship, 36 points adrift of the leader, and warned a turnaround was not guaranteed as he prepares to focus on starts and arm recovery before Jerez.