Capirossi content with seventh

The Italian, who has only managed one podium this season while Stoner won five times, was however only 0.231 seconds slower at Sachsenring.

"I'm satisfied anyway even if I could have done a bit better," Capirossi told TV channel Italia1.

"It's OK anyway: the time I set wasn't bad, it's just two tenths away from pole. Most of all I'm quick on race tyres, so that comforts me ahead of tomorrow's race.

"To start from the third row is not bad. If you start well you can go with the top positions."

Asked about how his Bridgestone tyres will do in the race, Capirossi replied: "Tomorrow will be tough because it'll be even hotter than today, when the asphalt got close to 50 degrees.

"Thirty laps are a lot on this track because it's very bumpy, but I think we aren't in such a bad position. If we look at how Dani Pedrosa did today (by qualifying second), it looks like Michelin are well sorted too.

"The thing I care most about is to get back to winning ways and I think we are not that far from it. We must believe in it and work for it."

Capirossi also explained that many riders had problems in setting a competitive lap time in the last sector of the track because of a bad surface, which should be sorted out for next year.

"There's a massive bump on the inside of the penultimate turn," he explained. "Unfortunately you always hit it. If you hit it in the best way you manage to be quicker, if you don't you lose time.

"It's a problem we discussed yesterday in the safety commission with Valentino (Rossi) too, and we asked the circuit to resurface especially that part in time for next year and it looks like it will get done."