Fabio Di Giannantonio delivered one of the standout qualifying laps of the 2026 MotoGP season at the Circuit of the Americas, converting his brilliant Friday practice pace into a second consecutive pole position in Saturday's Q2.
The VR46 Racing rider's lap of 2:00.136 came within a whisker of breaking the two-minute barrier at COTA for the first time in MotoGP history, capping a chaotic final five minutes in which traffic left several championship contenders scrambling.
"Absolutely incredible job that by Digia - back-to-back, Tissot watches coming his way," the official MotoGP commentary team said as the Italian crossed the line to seal the pole. It was Di Giannantonio's second pole on the bounce after topping qualifying in Brazil a week earlier, making him the form man on a single lap heading into Sunday's grand prix.
That Q2 was anything but straightforward. The 5.51-kilometre Texan layout bunched riders together on their preparation laps, and several of the championship's biggest names struggled to find clear track.
Marc Marquez - second fastest on Friday - was nearly a full second off his own earlier pace and found himself tangled in the congestion at Turn 12, nearly running into the back of Marco Bezzecchi. "Marc Marquez was second fastest yesterday with a brilliant time but is almost a second slower this morning in Q2," the commentary team observed. The eight-time world champion ultimately settled for a grid slot deep in the order, something the broadcast noted would represent a nightmare by his standards at a circuit where he has traditionally dominated.
Pecco Bagnaia, still reeling from two practice crashes earlier in the day, suffered a similar fate. The factory Ducati rider had been second early in Q2 before being caught out by traffic on the long back straight, a problem the panel was quick to flag as a safety concern. "If you're on your outlap, it's on you to make sure that you're not blocking someone who is on a time lap," came the firm verdict from the studio.
For Di Giannantonio, however, the chaos simply underlined how cleanly he executed his flying effort. The VR46 rider, who only graduated to the Valentino Rossi-owned satellite squad in recent seasons, is rapidly proving himself one of the most consistent qualifiers on the grid. Two poles in two weekends - and a lap that came tantalisingly close to a COTA record - mark a significant breakthrough moment for the Roman.
With Marco Bezzecchi's factory Aprilia also starting near the front, Sunday's race promises a four-way fight between Ducati, Aprilia, KTM and the recovering Honda-Yamaha contingent. Di Giannantonio will start with clear air, a fresh tyre, and the belief that back-to-back poles could soon translate into a maiden grand prix victory.
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*Originally published on [Motorsports Global](https://motorsports.global/article/di-giannantonio-masters-cota-with-back-to-back-motogp-poles). Visit for full coverage.*