Pedrosa cautious about race chances

In Japan last month Pedrosa crashed out of second place, while in last week's Phillip Island race he slipped back to fourth by the end.

While he was relieved to be in a good position for Sepang's tight first corner at the start, Pedrosa said he wasn't taking anything for granted.

"The qualifying was good. We are on pole again, which is good for the start, but I think the race is more important," he said.

Practice had suggested that Bridgestone had the edge over Michelin, and Pedrosa admitted that he still had to finalise his race tyre choice and settings.

"We have been testing some tyres, so still we have to decide which is the best for the race," said the Spaniard.

"Today the conditions were a little bit different from yesterday and this morning. It was a little bit more slippery.

"We have to check things and see if we can find a better set-up for tomorrow."