Melandri: we have to improve

The Italian had blamed a poor tyre choice for his 10th place on the grid, and although he made progress in the race, he was not satisfied with his bike's performance.

"I had such a good start but while I tried to go easy in the first few laps, I had so many problems going on the straight because the other bikes were so fast," he told TV station Eurosport.

"I had to push on the brakes too hard, and after three laps the front tyre dropped down a bit so I had to reduce the speed.

"In the end when the fuel level lowered and the rear tyre went down as well I found a good balance and a good rhythm. So, we have to improve, but it's better than in qualifying."

Melandri's teammate Toni Elias had qualified a very strong fourth, but a trip through the gravel in the race consigned him to a 14th place finish.