Gibernau still in frame at Ducati

Ducati boss Livio Suppo confirmed last weekend that Melandri would be with the team for the next race at Brno, but the Italian's future beyond that is still in doubt, while Gibernau seems closer than ever to a comeback after the two days of testing at Mugello this week.

According to the team, he lapped consistently in the mid 1:50s and clocked a best time of 1:48.9 on qualifying tyres, which would have put him on the third row of the grid for the race there in June - a full 1.5 seconds quicker than Melandri's qualifying time for the event. Even a crash at the end of the day did not deter the 35-year-old.

"It's been great trying qualifying tyres again after almost two years, but the most important thing is that the feeling with the bike in race trim was perfect almost straight away," he said. "Today I have experienced again the 'thrill' of a crash and I'm fine."

Speaking about his future with the Italian manufacturer, he said: "We will see together whether, and how, there will be the chance to continue our co-operation."

Ducati's Filippo Preziosi also hinted that Gibernau has a future with the team.

"Sete was, as usual, very helpful. I've been impressed with him getting on pace straight away and lapping on very interesting times both with race and qualifying tyres," he said.

"We will evaluate together the chance to co-operate again and I hope we will be able to find an option interesting for everybody."