Reigning MotoGP champion Marc Marquez’s domination of the current campaign continued in practice for tomorrow’s Grand Prix de France.

Marquez is bidding to make it five wins in a row at Le Mans after taking the chequered flag in the opening four rounds to date, and all from pole position.

Marquez, who this week signed a two-year extension to his contract with Honda, posted a time of one minute 34.328secs in the morning session, finishing 0.189secs ahead of team-mate Dani Pedrosa.

Come the afternoon session the 21-year-old, ahead in the standings by 28 points to fellow Spaniard Pedrosa, then shaved almost nine tenths of a second off his earlier pace, lowering his time to 1:33.452.

Marquez, though, had Ducati’s Andrea Iannone in close attendance as the Italian finished just seven thousandths of a second adrift.

Pedrosa dropped to fifth quickest, nearly half a second off the pace as another Spaniard in Alvaro Bautista on his Honda Gresini and 23-year-old Yamaha rider Bradley Smith were third and fourth quickest, the trio covered by just 0.077secs.

Valentino Rossi, who this week announced he would like to sign a new two-year deal with Yamaha, was only 10th quickest, a second down.