The second day of practice for the GP of the Americas started well for the two Repsol Honda team riders. Both Márquez and Espargaró earned a spot in Q2 after placing in the top ten at the end of the third Free Practice.
In Q2, Márquez continued to recover his good feeling onboard the RC213V and took a position on the third row of the starting grid –in ninth- after setting a best time of 2:03.038.
Still recovering from the stomach problems that he suffered yesterday, Pol Espargaró had a good FP3 in the morning, finishing sixth, thus ensuring a place in Q2. In the session that would define the starting grid, the Repsol Honda Team rider set a best time of 2:03.096 thousandths, which put him in twelfth position.
The Grand Prix of the Americas race will take place at 20h local time, between the Moto2 and Moto3 races.
Rider Statements
“Step by step the confidence is coming back more and more and today I was feeling and riding in a better way. In Qualifying, speaking honestly, I made some mistakes and I missed the last lap – I thought there was time for another lap. But anyway, we are still starting in ninth even with this. We made some good changes to the bike today and the goal for tomorrow is to finish the race in a good way. It won’t be easy starting ninth, but it will be a long and hard race where many things can happen.”
“Today I was feeling better, the pain was gone in my stomach and my power was improving. The biggest issue today in Qualifying was the mistake I made, touching the green and then misjudging the timing of the session a bit. I think we had the potential to match what we did in FP3 and be in or around the top six. I was not riding well today and making some mistakes, not just with the timing but also some with my riding. Fortunately, we are starting very well this year and Turn One here is always tricky so let’s see what happens in the opening lap. More rest is needed and let’s see what we can do.”