The Frenchman set a 2m02.542s to beat Ducati’s Jack Miller to the top spot by over 0.2s in FP2, with reigning world champion Fabio Quartararo leaping up to third late on with a 2m02.837s.
The second 45-minute session of the weekend took place in perfect conditions at the Circuit of the Americas, with lap times instantly beating the best from FP1.
Gresini’s Enea Bastianini continued Ducati’s strong afternoon with a run to fourth on his 2021-spec bike, while Suzuki’s Alex Rins ended the fifth session.
The returning Marc Marquez was sixth on the factory Honda, 0.499s off the pace, with Maverick Vinales the only Aprilia inside the top 10 currently at COTA in seventh.
The top 10 was completed by the sister Suzuki of Joan Mir, with Francesco Bagnaia on the factory team Ducati leading Pramac’s Jorge Martin – who didn’t run a fresh soft rear tire at the end of FP2 and instead stayed with the medium – in ninth and 10th.
Argentina race winner Aleix Espargaro is currently in a provisional Q1 spot in 11th having missed the top 10 by 0.015s on his Aprilia – though conditions should allow for combined timesheet improvements in FP3 on Saturday morning.
FP2 results:
What happened in COTA MotoGP FP1?
Earlier in the day, Rins topped FP1 despite a technical issue interrupting his session at around mid-distance, with his GSX-RR slowing on the exit of Turn 11 onto the back straight.
But the 2019 COTA race winner managed to get back out on track on his second Suzuki and lit the timing screens up in the dying stages with a run of three-successive sessions-topping times.
This run culminated in a 2m04.007s, which put him top of the pile at the checkered flag by just 0.008s.
A late charge from Maverick Vinales threatened Rins’ lap, but the Aprilia rider had to settle for second ahead of Miller.
Quartararo led the session in the early stages and was fourth at the checkered flag, 0.0443s off the pace, while Marquez completed 17 laps in fifth.
Aleix Espargaro leads the championship heading into the fourth round of the season, having taken his first MotoGP victory in Argentina last weekend.
The 2022 MotoGP Americas GP continues on Saturday at 9:55pm local time (2:55pm BST) with FP3.
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