De Puniet hopeful of progress

The Frenchman set the 12th fastest time in Friday practice for the French Grand Prix on his final lap with a used set of Bridgestone tyres - and he thinks that is a good pointer to the potential of the Japanese rubber for Sunday.

But he admits that he still does not feel as though he has got the most out of his bike so far.

"The first day in Le Mans hasn't been easy as we've struggled a lot with the rear," he said. "It moves a lot, exiting corners and it was difficult to change direction. I can't say I'm unhappy, though I'm not confident.

"My confidence in the bike set-up improved into the afternoon session but we need to keep progressing tomorrow, mainly in T4 where I've been losing a lot of time. However, I'm really happy with the race tyres.

"I spent the whole session this morning with the same set and I did my best lap time in my last lap. I used a new set of the same spec in the afternoon and the conclusion was the same.

"The performance and consistency are very good; very positive for the race. The weather wasn't wonderful but the forecasters predict good conditions for tomorrow. We all hope they aren't wrong."

Teammate Fonsi Nieto, making his debut in the top category as a stand-in for Olivier Jacque, ended the day at the bottom of the timesheets, but said he had not been pushing too hard so he could get used to MotoGP machinery.

"Following the team's advice, I decided to take it easy as everything was new to me," he said. "I just wanted to get used to the bike and the tyres without rushing, to avoid making any mistakes.

"The biggest differences and challenges for me today have been the difference in weight, the carbon brakes and the tyres. I don't have all the confidence necessary to change direction, I need to improve my braking to maintain a good corner speed and also to gain some confidence in the front tyre as well."