Johann Zarco flourished on home soil as he led fellow Frenchman Fabio Quartararo for Friday’s MotoGP FP2 setting the fastest 1’31.747 lap time.

The synchronised top-three also embraced a pair Yamaha’s as Maverick Viñales followed his teammate with three-tenths separating the trio, Pol Espargaro a painfully slight 0.001s behind in fourth.

MotoGP FP2 kicked off on a dry track but with thick black clouds threatening overhead the riders were all out in earnest to set their best Friday times as soon as possible.

The standings flickered repeatedly as the third laps registered, Quartararo taking the early lead from Alex Rins and Takaaki Nakagami, with a 1’33.025. Viñales was the next to strike as he pushed the Yamaha M1 in to third, four-tenths off his teammate, with everyone improving once again next time around. Quartararo maintained his home advantage as the top-three all remained in place, Aleix Espargaro claiming the first fall of the afternoon at turn three.

Marc Marquez sat fourth from Pecco Bagnaia and Espargaro after the opening 10 minutes, with fellow HRC rider Nakagami just 0.068s behind for seventh Joan Mir, Jack Miller and Iker Lecuona completed the initial top-10 with Franky Morbidelli leading his Petronas partner Valentino Rossi just outside of the promotion zone.

Ducati power saw Bagnaia and Zarco advance to third and fourth before the Italian fell at turn three next time around while Nakagami continued his impressive form as he returned to second.

15-minutes gone and the Frenchman remained in charge from Nakagami, Rins, Bagnaia and Viñales while Mir headed Zarco and the remaining Honda trio of Espargaro and the Marquez brothers. Miguel Oliveira sat 11th from Rossi, Miller, Lecuona, and Morbidelli as Espargaro returned to action on his second Aprilia machine - the Andorran-resident immediately falling foul at turn three once again.

Mid-session saw Marquez take a trip through the gravel after running off at turn eight with the Spaniard easily able to recover his machine and return to the garage while Quartararo was not so lucky. The Frenchman suffering a low side as he deposited his Yamaha in the dust at turn three.

There was further drama moments later as Miller climbed the standings to take sixth with 18 minutes to go before immediately burying his Desmosedici in the gravel at turn seven on the following lap, his P6 lap time being cancelled shortly after to add insult to injury, with the Australian now outside of the Q2 zone in 12th.

Rossi entered the top-10 with 12 minutes to go before improving again to take eighth next time around - seven-tenths off Friday’s fastest so far - while the majority of the pack sat in the pits ahead of their final runs.

The rain seeming to hold off, the last attacks fired up with both factory Yamaha’s in charge and a tail wind now hassling the riders in the first sector. Morbidelli joined the M1 party to sit third behind Viñales as Miller made another mistake on his first flying lap. Espargaro was the first to disrupt Yamaha’s dominance as he pushed his Honda into second with Miller recovering strongly to secure fifth less than half a second shy of the Frenchman’s 1’32.120 target.

The closing two minutes saw Zarco advance to second for a home 1-2 as Espargaro sat third from Morbidelli and Viñales, Oliveira besting Miller for sixth. Zarco’s late charge boosted him into first, 0.095s ahead of his countrymen while Oliveira continued to shine with another personal best as the leading KTM in sixth. Viñales advanced to third as all four Yamaha’s concluded Friday inside of the top-10 - with Morbidelli fifth, Rossi ninth - Espargaro securing top-Honda honours in fourth and Miller, Marquez and Nakagami completing the top-10. Falls for both Suzuki’s in the final stages preventing their entry into the provisional promotion places.