Dovizioso downplays slow start

The Italian was fourth fastest in the morning session but slipped down the order in the afternoon as he focused on tyre comparison work in the cool conditions.

Despite his placing on the timesheets, however, the JiR Team Scot rider feels his race pace will allow him to deliver a strong performance at Donington Park.

"Obviously I'm not satisfied with the final position but I am optimistic because with hard work we'll go quicker tomorrow and we obviously can do a better pace in race configuration and I do think that we can find all the solutions we need to be competitive," he said.

"We did a good lap time in the morning and in the afternoon our approach was different as we looked at the right tyre choice to make between the Michelin material I had at my disposal.

"We also tried something in case the weather conditions would change. It is also necessary to find the right balance of the bike and to find rear stability and get the bike efficient in corner speed.

"I have also to work on the overall rhythm, as the layout of racetrack is very particular, with part of the track fast and another part very narrow and start/stop which breaks the rhythm a little."