Pramac Ducati rider Martin demolished Francesco Bagnaia’s pole record at the Circuit of the Americas of 2m01.892s from last year with a 2m01.397s in Friday’s second practice.
Though challenged late on by Aprilia’s Maverick Vinales, Martin held on to end Friday fastest of all as he looks to strengthen his 18-point lead in the standings in Saturday’s sprint.
The Spaniard felt he still had more time on the table owing to two errors he made on that record-beating lap, but admits it will be “really challenging” to maintain his advantage into Saturday.
“I did two small mistakes, so I think I have some margin for tomorrow – not a lot,” he said.
“And also if the track keeps improving, because I think it improved quite a lot from FP1 to FP2, so it will improve for tomorrow and we will be a bit faster.
“But I’m happy. In terms of pace, I feel confident.
“I think even if tomorrow a lot of riders will improve, it will be really challenging to be one of the strongest, I feel prepared and ready for everything.”
Reigning world champion Bagnaia lifted himself into the Q2 places with the fourth-best time on Friday, which he described as his best of the season.
Source: Autosport