1. Marc Marquez (MotoGP)
It’s abundantly clear that last year wasn’t a one-off. Simply put, Marc Marquez is unbeatable around the Circuit of the Americas. The reigning champion was quickest in every single session of the Grand Prix weekend and, the fact of the matter is, none of his rivals were even remotely close to challenging him.
Marquez set the tone on Friday by lapping over a second quicker than his nearest challenger and although the field closed the gap slightly in qualifying, he still claimed pole with something to spare. Realistically, his only threat in the race was going to come from his fellow Honda riders but Dani Pedrosa simply couldn’t keep up with the relentless pace of his teammate, a theme that’s becoming all too familiar from his point of view.
The only chance Marc’s rivals had of beating him was if the youngster defeated himself and they almost got their wish when he lost control under braking for the very last corner but Marc rectified the situation with minimal fuss. If the first two races are anything to go by, Marquez may not have much difficulty retaining his world title either as Qatar and Austin have already proved that the best in the world has just got even better. It’s now up to the rest to respond.
(Photo Credit: Repsol Honda)
