ÁLEX MÁRQUEZ AIMS TO MAKE A STEP FORWARD IN AUSTIN

Álex Márquez made a solid start as free practice for the Grand Prix of the Americas got underway on Friday. The LCR Honda CASTROL rider was competitive throughout, but will look to make a step in qualifying on Saturday after finishing in 16^th overall at COTA on Friday.

The Spaniard was 15^th in FP1 as he reacquainted himself with the layout in Austin on MotoGP machinery. He improved by over a second in the afternoon’s FP2, but was unable to better his position on the timesheets in a competitive session and will now look to make a big move in FP3 when the action resumes on Saturday.