Melandri surprised by front row slot

The Honda Gresini rider was just 0.067 seconds slower than polesitter Dani Pedrosa as he took third place - his best qualifying performance since the Sachsenring in June.

"When I saw the lap time after the chequered flag I was a bit surprised, because I knew I did a good lap time, but not like that," said Melandri.

He believes tomorrow's race will be a challenge for all the riders - especially if today's hot conditions continue.

"I think the race will be very, very tough because today was very, very hard and so slippery," said the Italian.

Many riders have been critical of the new surface at Sepang, with complaints about the number of bumps and the track's abrasiveness. But Melandri believes the problems with the circuit are actually giving him an advantage, with the Honda handling the track better than other bikes.

"With the new surface, I'm pretty happy because it's very bumpy, so I think the chassis of the bike is so much more important than before," he said.

"We can be fast also with the two long straights.

"I'm looking forward to tomorrow, just waiting to see what the weather will be, but I hope to be able to fight for a podium."