Pedrosa says gear ratio error was costly

The Repsol Honda rider battled with Lorenzo for much of the race, before his fellow Spaniard took the lead from Valentino Rossi and then pulled away.

Pedrosa also passed Rossi, but could not catch Lorenzo. He said an inappropriate sixth gear had left him struggling on the straights.

"We made a mistake in the garage before the race, because the wind was changing so we didn't know which sixth gear to put in, and finally we went for a short one," he told BBC television.

"My bike was over-revving in sixth gear, so we lost the race there. I was afraid of breaking the engine because we were on the limiter a long time."

But despite this frustration, Pedrosa said he was satisfied to take a third consecutive podium finish and to leave Estoril equal on points with championship-leader Lorenzo.

"I didn't expect such a start to the season," he added to Italia1.

"We are happy with today's result. It was a difficult race: at the start it was a bit messy with the rain, but then it went a bit better. Let's hope we can improve on the things we lack."

Pedrosa was unwilling to say whether Lorenzo or Rossi would emerge as his main title rival.

"I think it's a bit too early still to say that, but both are dangerous for every race, and let's not forget about (Casey) Stoner," he said.