For a long time in the American Grand Prix, everything looked as if Stefan Bradl could become one of the big beneficiaries of his opponent’s fall festival. The injured Marc Marquez’s substitute was battling for a place in the top with Augusto Fernandez and Michele Pirro and was close to scoring championship points on his MotoGP comeback for the first time since Misano 2022.
One and a half laps before the end, however, disaster struck: while in eleventh place, Bradl fell on turn 13 and became a victim of the difficult conditions himself. Because he wasn’t able to start the race afterwards, all hopes of a double German score – Jonas Folger was twelfth – were gone. The Honda driver couldn’t explain his crash: “It was a strange crash that wasn’t indicated. But the track conditions weren’t easy, as the many falls show.”
video-12902-ducati-schuld-am-crash-was-ist-dran-an-bagnaias-theorie.html"/>
Nine pilots, including Bradl, went down on Sunday for a variety of reasons. Many of them suspected at least part of the blame for the bad asphalt of the Circuit of the Americas. The loamy subsoil on which COTA was built causes the asphalt surface to rise and fall again and again in different places, causing sometimes violent bumps.
Bradl puzzles over crash: I didn’t make a mistake
“I didn’t make any mistakes,” Bradl is convinced. His departure in turn 13 puzzles him: “When analyzing the data, I also couldn’t see that I had done anything wrong. I drove exactly the same line as on the previous lap. That leaves a few questions. It occurs to me It’s not easy to accept, but life goes on.”
Positive from the German’s point of view: After mixed performances in qualifying and sprint, he recognized a significant improvement on Sunday. “We had some potential today, the top ten was possible. Of course I’m disappointed that I couldn’t bring that result home because it can give you a big boost – especially if, like me, you’re only for a few You fill in the races. But I rode well and felt comfortable on the bike. That’s very gratifying.”
Marc Marquez comeback at the Spanish GP?
Whether Bradl will get another chance for his first MotoGP points in 2023 in Jerez in two weeks is currently still in the stars. Marc Marquez is still recovering from his injury from the Portugal GP at the end of March. There, after a collision with Miguel Oliveira, he fractured the first metacarpal bone on his right hand and subsequently had to undergo surgery. Whether he can return to the Spanish GP on time is still unclear.
However, the Repsol Honda team should be hoping for a timely return of its superstar. In addition to Bradl, the second regular driver, Joan Mir, also crashed in Austin. As a result, the Japanese factory team still only has 12 World Championship points in 2023 and is in last place in the team classification after the America GP.
