De Puniet not happy with sixth

The LCR Honda rider, who set the pace in the early stages of the session, recovered from a crash to take a second row grid spot for the Monaco-based squad.

Despite this though, the former Kawasaki rider believes he could have done even better.

"It was a good last qualifying of the season but honestly I was expecting something better," said de Puniet. "Unfortunately I lost the front on my second run out after six laps but luckily I saved my wrist from the incident.

"After that we lost some track time but we fixed our tyres choice for the race and started to set good lap times on qualifiers."

The Frenchman, who is still suffering the effects of a wrist-fracturing accident at the San Marino Grand Prix in August, is unsure what to expect in the race.

"Starting from the second row is very important as nobody really knows the weather for tomorrow," he said. "I feel a bit worried about my wrist but will do the best to get the best result so far."