Schedule and full starting grid

Austin will play host to the third round of the 2026 MotoGP season. 

The United States Grand Prix will cap off the opening leg of the campaign following previous flyaway races in Thailand and Brazil. 

Following COTA, MotoGP will head to Jerez for the European leg of the season, albeit after a four-week break due to the postponement of the Qatar Grand Prix.

2026 MotoGP United States GP: Race start

The 2026 US GP will begin at 3pm local time on Sunday, 29 March. The race will take place at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.

Start time: 15:00 local time / 20:00 GMT / 21:00 BST / 22:00 CEST / 16:00 ET / 13:00 PT / 07:00 AEDT (Monday) / 05:00 JST (Monday) / 01:30 IST (Monday)

2026 MotoGP United States GP: Starting grid

VR46’s Fabio di Giannantonio will start a MotoGP race from pole position for the second consecutive week after topping qualifying at Austin on Saturday.

He was supposed to be joined by Aprilia star Marco Bezzecchi on the front row, but the Italian was hit with a two-place grid penalty for impeding Marc Marquez in qualifying.

As such, KTM’s Pedro Acosta will inherit second on the grid, with Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia moving up to third.

Honda’s Joan Mir will line up fifth behind Bezzecchi, while Marquez will take the start from fifth on the factory Ducati.

Marquez, who has a record seven wins at COTA, will have to serve a long-lap penalty in the race after causing a collision with di Giannantonio in Saturday’s sprint.

New champion leader Jorge Martin (Aprilia) and Gresini duo Alex Marquez and Fermin Aldeguer will share the third row.

Luca Marini (Honda) was another rider to pick up a penalty on Saturday, with the stewards punishing both him and Bezzecchi for obstructing Marquez on a flying lap.

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— The Motorsport.com Team