Sunday's Austin MotoGP looks ꧑set to be the first head-to-head showdown between reigning champion Marc Marquez and man-of-the-mome⛄nt Maverick Vinales.

It's the contest everyone has been waiting for since Vina𓆏les moved to Yamaha, dominated winter testing and went on to win the opening races. Even the riders themselves appear curious to square-up on track; their paths having rarely cross▨ed since minibike racing in Spain.

But the pair will start first and second on the grid after Marquez outpaced Vinales by just 0🍬.130s, raising his perfect Austin pole record to five in a row.

It was a welcome boost for Honda's triple champion, who arrives at his most successful MotoGP circuit under pressure to halt the Vinales domination. Marquez trails his young🌜er countryman by a massive 37 points, after a fourth place and a fall, his worst start to a premier-class season.

Both have looked equally matched in Austin and if Marquez was to pick a circuit to try and beat Vinales, this would surely be it: Marquez has won every race from 💙pole since COTA joined the calendar in 2013.

"Our pace is really, really similar, me and Maverick," Marquez confirmed. "This circuit has been really good to me in previous years but I know tomorrow Maverick has the chance to win and can push fꦑrom the beginning. We will try to be there with him until the end."

"I hope!" grinn🔜ed Vinales, when asked if he expects the long-awaited Marquez battle. "I hope I can battle and stay there until the end. We've been working🅠 hard all weekend for the last laps."

Both agreed that it is far too early to back off and settle for points if there is a chance o🦹f victory on the last lap.

"If you arrive at the end of the race with some possibility to win, you will try. He will try. Everybody would try," ܫMarquez declared. "We are only in the third race of the cham🐻pionship."

"It's just the third race of the season, so if you 💖have the chance to win, you are going to take it," confirmed Vinales. "It's goi🏅ng to be nice if it's a last lap together."

Some feel Vinales has less pressure since, in terms of the current championship standings, he could afford a second place more than Marquez. "Sometimes that's not an advantage!" Vinales warned🃏. "Sometimes it motivates you more when you have to beat someone."

Marquez confessed it's crucial not to repeat the error seen in Argentina, but is adamant you can't become champ𒁃ion without taking risks.

"Always it's crucial to finish the races and ไtake points for the championship. But in the end, if you want to be champion, you must take the risk iᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚn a few moments of the race or a few corners.

"We 🐽will see. I cannot think about 'what if I lose...' because immediately you open [the throttle] 90% instead of 1ﷺ00%. And we must push because the Yamaha riders are really strong and we will try to beat them."

Marquez also kno𝓰ws his peerless past record won't count for much once the red lights go out.

"I know this circuit has been really gꦉood for me in the past, I won four years in a row but tomorrow is another race and I know Maverick can beat me and stꦉop these consecutive victories.

"Or maybe another rider, because also Valentino is really fast all the Sundays. S🦄o we will see, but if I have 🎀a small chance of course I will try to win."

Rossi was b♔est of the rest in qualifying, albeit a distant 0.⛄932s from Marquez. But the Italian starts from his best grid position of the season, having already delivered strong race rides to the podium in both Qatar and Argentina.

While Vinales has adapted seamlessly from the Suzuki to the Yamaha, both Rossi and Marquez have been struggling to find a base-up for their respective machines this season, the Hond𒆙a rider explaining:

"This year for some reason with this [big bang Honda] configuration of the engine it's changing quite a lot the balance of the bike and we need to find. But it looks like step-by-step we are comi🌼ng to a better base.

"The problem is that from circuit-to-꧑circuit we are changing too much and this creates a different feeling on the bike, different limits and different confidence. So it's really important for me to find a good base. From Argentina to here it looks like the base is coming ꧑closer."

Asked if he would prefer to battle Marquez or team-mate and nearest title rival Rossi for victory on the last lap o🌃f Sunday's race, Vinales replied:

"Marc, because in the championship Valentino is much closer. It's dangerous with Marc, but I wo꧂uld prefer."

Vinales currently has a 14-point lead over Rossi.

One thing is for 🐽sure, someone's win streak will be broken on Sunday - but will it be Marquez at COTA, Vinales at Yamaha.⭕.. or both?