Pedrosa pins hopes on test

The Spaniard finished second after Jorge Lorenzo crashed out, but had been unable to keep up with the two Yamahas in the early stages of the race, allowing Valentino Rossi to take an ultimately dominant win.

"It was difficult because today I was not very fast compared with the two Yamahas," Pedrosa told the BBC. "They were very fast from the beginning and finally I couldn't see them, they were too far away."

He admitted that he had expected better in race conditions, having expected to close the gap from qualifying.

"I was more confident for the race and thought I'd be able to push harder, but in the race I was not any faster, and slowly they started to get away," Pedrosa said. "Then I was third and alone, just trying to keep the pace to the end."

With the dramatic cuts in testing allowances for 2009, tomorrow's session is one of just two opportunities for the teams to get mileage between races during the season - and Pedrosa thinks it could be vital for Honda.

"Tomorrow is an important day to test and to try to improve my rhythm, my riding and my bike," he said. "So we shall see what happens."

Pedrosa was set to finish a distant third until Lorenzo's late accident allowed him to gain a position.

"I had a present from Lorenzo," he said. "I didn't expect that, but it was good for me of course. But he was much faster today."