Factory Yamaha MotoGP rider Valentino Rossi admitted his race pace is a concern to him, despite finishing the opening day third fastest at the Circuit of the Americas.

The Italian left it late in FP2 to all but guarantee his place in Q2 jumping up into the top three. With rain forecast for Saturday, Rossi was happy to secure his place in the top ten.

“Today wasn’t so bad, especially the third position is very good,” said the nine-times World Champion.

“I did a good lap, and this is very important in order to stay in the top ten.”

Despite securing a place in the top ten, the Italian wasn’t completely satisfied with his M1, noting the concerns with the pace over longer runs.

“We have some problems with the pace,” he said. “I’m not fantastic on the race tyre. We have to work on the balance of the bike, but for a first day it’s quite positive.