It looked like an incredible fastest lap of the day for Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) as FP2 drew to a close, but the Frenchman was just pipped to the post by reigning Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) on his final attempt of the day. Zarco, who also led briefly in Qatar and took a top five in Argentina, nevertheless again showed stunning pace as the reigning Moto2 World Champion settles into life in the premier class - second fastest overall on Day 1 with a 2:04.347.
Johann Zarco, P2: "I’m happy that I could manage well in the practice, but I am working for the race. I had a good experience in Argentina and I said to the team that I would like to work harder for the race, but when I put in a new tyre I had a good feeling and set a nice lap time. It’s positive to be in second place; here in America it’s not easy and so I tried to manage it. I’m a little bit sick so I will get good sleep to keep my energy for the next two days, but I’m happy at the moment so I will try to manage it in the practice so I can be in good form for the race. It’s a different way of working between MotoGP and Moto2. What is difficult is that in MotoGP when you want to focus on the race, you have to focus on Qualifying because the target is to be in the Top 10 at the end of FP3, so that can make you more stressed on Friday. I will stay calm and enjoy it!”