John McPhee’s opening day on the Sterilgarda Max Racing Moto3 proved positive after almost controlling the standings.

The Scot’s 2’05.344 lap in Friday’s second practice looked to be enough to take the day’s provisional pole before Izan Guevara’s last second effort stole his thunder as the chequered flag dropped.

With less than a second covering the top ten, and more work to be done across the inaugural  weekend of 2022, McPhee’s pace was a reassuring result after an initially complicated adjustment from the Honda to the Husqvarna.

“It was a great start,” McPhee said from the Lusail paddock. “A big thank you to my team because they've been working really hard inside the pit trying to make the adaptations for me a little bit more comfortable.

“Of course it is only one session but it is nice to be at the front. There is definitely still more work to be done but things are going in the right direction and we are happy for now. We will analyse all the data and try to improve again for tomorrow.

“Qualifying is always one of the most important sessions in the weekend and after today's performance of course a front row start would be nice. I will definitely be aiming for that, but I would say that top six to top nine would be nice because you can fight from there.”