Miller fastest in damp FP2

Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS Honda’s Jack Miller ended a damp second free practice at the Sepang International Circuit fastest after a late lap on slick tyres.

The session started with most going out one wet tyres, but a slow-drying track meant that slick running was confined to final few minutes of FP2 and by only a handful of riders. Unsurprisingly, those who opted for dry tyres in the latter stages filled the top four positions.

LCR’s Cal Crutchlow was the first to switch to dry tyres and the first to clock a fast lap on them, though his 2m09.271s was only good enough for second. Miller wasn’t far behind the British rider and crossed the line to go four tenths quicker with a 2m08.872s. Avintia Racing’s Hector Barbera completed the top three from Tech 3 Yamaha’s Bradley Smith.

Loris Baz was the first rider to ditch the wet tyres but opted for intermediates instead of slicks. The French rider was able to put together a fairly decent run on the inters, sitting top of the pile as the final minutes approached. Pramac Ducati’s Scott Redding ended FP2 sixth fastest, with Andrea Dovizioso the first of the factory runners in seventh. Stefan Bradl, Tito Rabat and Hiroshi Aoyama completed the top 10.

Of course, as it was dry, the times from FP1 stand as the best from the day, which means Marc Marquez heads into qualifying leading the pack despite missing this afternoon’s practice session. The Spaniard was taken to the medical centre with a bad bout of gastroenteritis and had to sit out FP2. The Honda rider should be back in action tomorrow, however.

Ducati’s Andrea Iannone also sat out FP2. The Italian has been on the sidelines since the San Marino Grand Prix with a back injury and sensibly decided that it was best to not take any unnecessary risks in the tricky conditions this afternoon.

With the weather forecast still highly unpredictable for tomorrow, the FP1 times could well stand as deciding who goes straight through to QP2. This means that the likes of Miller, Crutchlow, Dovizioso, Smith and Bradl could well be facing a fierce fight in the first part of qualifying.