Brivio remains cautious despite pole

But while the American beat the Bridgestone-shod Ducati of championship leader Casey Stoner by 0.094 seconds, the latter effectively missed out on pole by making a mistake in the final corner of his flying lap.

Edwards' teammate Valentino Rossi could only set the fourth fastest time, 0.259 seconds off pole.

Moreover, Brivio said his team are yet to decide what specification of Michelin tyres to use for the race.

"There isn't a big difference in pace between the various riders today," Brivio told TV channel Italia1. "We are talking about two or three tenths where everyone is in, so it's just a matter of small details.

"We are still a bit undecided over which tyre to use tomorrow. There are a couple of them that could potentially work, but since there are positives and negatives for each of them, we'll have to think about it some more and work a bit more on the set-up.

"But we are in the pack. Maybe we don't have an advantage compared to everyone else, but I think we'll be there fighting. We'll have to see how the Bridgestones do.

"Obviously Colin is very satisfied: he's got pole and it's his first time in MotoGP. We are very happy for him, especially because it comes after a bad fall this morning. The pole is also a good sign the fall didn't have any ill effects on him.

"Valentino can't be too happy at the moment, but we are calm and serene, while nevertheless knowing there are some problems that need to be solved. Let's hope we'll do well tomorrow."

Rossi today lamented the Michelin tyres taking some two or three laps to get up to temperature. Asked about it, Brivio agreed, but claimed the problem is also down to chance.

"It's true, but it depends on the type of tyre," he explained. "There are some that go really well, but you need to wait two or three laps to get up to temperature, while others manage that more quickly.

"To have the best tyre that warms up more quickly is a matter of luck. It's true, it happens, but it depends on the type of tyre.

"The problem is if our rivals manage to get away from us while our tyres get up to speed. We need to contain the gap in the first laps to try to stay with them and fight."