Movistar Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi has ‘turned the bike upside down’ in both MotoGP free practice sessions at Le Mans today but still languishes down in tenth place on the timesheets after an hour and a half on track.

The Doctor tried every which way but loose in order to improve his laptime at the French circuit but didn’t come up with any solutions so remains a second off the pace of quickest man Marc Marquez.

“I am not happy about today, especially this afternoon, because I was not able to be strong, to be on the top. I have a lot of problem with the bike, especially in acceleration. I have big problem to open the throttle because the bike is very nervous and we try to modify something during the practice but we don’t fix more or less nothing,” said Rossi, speaking at the track.

“I am too far and tomorrow we have to check the data and be more competitive. It will be important to start in the top five. It is unbelieveable the difference between Jerez and here in the setting, we have to turn the bike upside down with the front on the rear and the rear on the front, we have to change a lot of things. Le Mans is always like this but I hope it is just a question of time.”