Kawasaki unsure of tyre choice

De Puniet had favoured the softer compound during practice but switched to the harder tyre as the track temperature rose today, only to struggle for grip and end up a disappointed eighth on the grid.

"This morning we did many little adjustments in the bike and worked for the whole session with the same front and rear tyre, which was the soft option that I liked yesterday," he explained.

"It went pretty well but in the afternoon it was sliding a lot due to the increase of the track temperature. This is the reason why we tried a harder one but it was sliding a little so we are not sure which one we will use tomorrow."

His teammate Olivier Jacque was frustrated to only qualify 11th after setting top six times in practice.

"I was expecting a better result at the qualifying session but the qualifying tyres didn't offer as much improvement in side grip over the race tyre as we were expecting, and there was some confusion as well at the end with lots of riders waiting for the Ducatis so they could follow them," he said.

"The wind didn't help to find the right line and the balance of the bike."