MotoGP bikes to run at Austin on Saturday of the US Grand Prix weekend

Two series, one paddock

For one 20-minute slot on Saturday, the Circuit of the Americas will sound very different. Four MotoGP bikes are due to take to the Austin track on 24 October, in the middle of the United States Grand Prix weekend, according to reports from Crash.net, RacingNews365 and PlanetF1. RacingNews365 describes it as the first time MotoGP machinery has appeared on a Formula 1 race weekend.

What is planned

The demonstration is scheduled for 11:40 to 12:00 local time, ahead of the final F1 practice session. Four riders are named. Dani Pedrosa, a MotoGP Hall of Fame inductee and winner of 31 MotoGP races, will ride a KTM. Nicolo Bulega, the reigning World Superbike champion, will be on a Ducati; he moves up to MotoGP with the VR46 team in 2027. The test riders Andrea Dovizioso (Yamaha) and Lorenzo Savadori (Trackhouse Racing) complete the line-up.

The reports describe bikes that can pass 225 mph and lean beyond 60 degrees in corners. MotoGP's own championship is racing at Phillip Island in Australia the same weekend, so the Austin run is a showcase rather than a championship round.

What the riders say

Pedrosa called it "always special" to ride a MotoGP bike at COTA, which he described as one of the most iconic circuits in the world. He said the US Grand Prix is a unique event with a large crowd and that the bikes' speed, sound and performance have to be experienced in person.

Bulega said the run is a chance to put MotoGP in front of one of the biggest crowds in world motorsport and that he is looking forward to coming back to Austin with MotoGP in 2027.

Why it matters

Formula 1 and MotoGP share an owner: Liberty Media holds the commercial rights to both. Talk of a joint event has circulated since MotoGP joined its portfolio. PlanetF1 notes that safety remains the main obstacle to racing both series on one weekend, because MotoGP circuits often rely on air fences that are slow to deploy and remove, and the requirements of the two sports differ widely. Crash.net reports that around 400,000 fans are expected at COTA across the weekend, a large audience for an introduction to the bikes.

The demonstration is a small step, not a joint race. For Formula 1 fans it is a short extra on a busy Saturday: the run comes only hours before qualifying for round 18 of the 2026 season, with the race itself set for Sunday 25 October.