AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) – Six-times world champion Marc Marquez led from start to finish to secure a seventh win at the Grand Prix of the Americas on Sunday as Fabio Quartararo finished in second to strengthen his grip on the MotoGP world championship race.
Repsol Honda’s Marquez, who was third on the grid, made an impressive start as he charged through the first turn to grab the lead ahead of pole sitter Francesco Bagnaia and Quartararo, eventually opening a gap of more than four seconds with five laps to go.
Bagnaia struggled after his poor opening and slipped down to sixth before going past a fading Jorge Martin of Pramac Ducati with three laps remaining to salvage third place. Alex Rins of Suzuki Ecstar came fourth.
Quartararo leads Bagnaia by 52 points with three rounds to go.
(Reporting by Dhruv Munjal in Bengaluru; editing by Clare Fallon)
