Rossi: times prove new bikes are easier

Just 0.325 seconds covered the top ten on the grid at Jerez, making today's session the tightest in MotoGP history.

But Rossi - who missed out on pole by 0.051 seconds - reckons that this only serves to demonstrate that the less powerful bikes do not provide the same challenge for the riders.

"It's very good for the show, maybe a little bit worse for us, for the riders, because it means that this type of bike has become a little bit easier to go at the limit - especially in qualifying," he said.

The Italian does not expect the field to remain as tightly packed in tomorrow's race, instead suspecting that tyre wear will make the bikes harder to handle and allow the top riders to demonstrate their skill again.

"With these tyres, there's a lot of work, the bike moves a lot after some laps, so tomorrow we will see the difference," he said.