Edwards satisfied with seventh

The team had struggled for speed in practice yesterday, but were back on the pace today, with Edwards' teammate Valentino Rossi taking second.

"We've made some really important steps forward today with regards to the new tyres, how we use them and also to our base setting," Edwards said.

"We've rearranged the bike a bit and things were a lot better today. This afternoon was really difficult at the start, I was riding as hard as I could but I was two seconds off the pace. Then we put a different tyre in - the one I will use in the race - and I was riding the same but was suddenly a lot faster.

"This is a very sensitive track when it comes down to tyres and setting and you really have to find the key."

Edwards felt he had not extracted his bike's full potential in qualifying.

"With my first qualifying tyre I put in a pretty uneventful lap and with the second I was looking faster but I caught up to some other riders and, although they didn't slow me down, I slightly lost the edge of my concentration and that cost me a little bit of time," he said.