Di Giannantonio tops pre-qualifying after difficult morning

Fabio Di Giannantonio set a new circuit record of 1'50.406 to top the pre-qualifying standings, despite a difficult morning session in which he was about two seconds off the pace. He said that a few changes to his Ducati during the day helped him improve, and that he felt comfortable under braking and on corner entry again, something he had not experienced for some time.

Di Giannantonio said he wished the team had made those changes sooner, in the last few Grands Prix. He preferred not to comment on why the solution had not been found earlier, saying he was not the one doing the data analysis, but that something had not been working for him in recent races.

Engine performance remains a concern. Di Giannantonio's top speed is more than 6 km/h lower than that of Iker Lecuona, according to the speed standings.