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At the end of the first day of free practice in Austin, Spanish rider Jorge Martin set the pace. In the afternoon, the Pramac rider set a record time of 2'01"397, sending a very clear signal of his competitiveness to his competition.
Obviously, the rider from Spain can only be satisfied with what he's accomplished, despite the fact that the competition is lurking, ready to spoil his party.
"I'm happy with this first day, since I definitely did a good lap," he began. "I tried some set-ups in the FP2, then went back to the standard version. Let's say that, at the end, I tried to push harder when braking, and I got a good time."
Apparently, the Spanish rider has been able to tailor his GP24.
"I've always been fast and consistent this year with the Ducati, but I was also fast and consistent last season. Truthfully, I didn't expect to be so fast right away here in Austin, because I thought I'd suffer more. Right now, I'm feeling good, considering that, among the many aspects to be assessed, there's also the physical one, since we'll have to manage our strength. So, we'll see what happens, knowing that the other riders will also improve tomorrow, since they'll have more information. Personally, I'm ready."
Martin then quickly takes stock of Friday.
"I worked a lot on my pace today and, in the FP2, we also made a small mistake, since I used the tires starting from the end of the FP1 with twelve laps. What matters is that we were able to keep the same pace with worn tires. The fast lap? Unfortunately, I made two mistakes in the time attack. We're very much at he limit, but I think we can also improve tomorrow and lower the chrono even further."
Speaking of rivals, Martin mentions Viñales and others.
"Maverick was fast, really fast on the flying lap, while I think Pecco and Marc will be fighting for the top positions on the pace."
His last consideration was related to the track.
"I studied the mixed section a lot, and I know that, if you take turn four and fice too fast, you then risk affecting the following ones. I have to say that turn four is challenging, especially in braking. Plus, the new asphalt isn't really the best, because it's slippery. But the bike is behaving well. We haven't changed anything since Portimão, and I think that's important for the future."
