Aruba.it Ducati’s Alvaro Bautista overcame cold morning complications to top the times on Friday at Misano World Circuit.

Initially expecting his preseason test knowledge to bear fruit despite the conditions left after torrential rain, Bautista was left wondering where the feeling had gone with his Panigale V4 in the morning’s 45-minute session.

“The track was cold but especially because I remember the test we did here in March, the feelings with the bike was fantastic!” Bautista explained from the paddock on Friday evening. But this morning I didn’t find this feeling and it’s true that we have some parts in the bike different from that test. So because I didn’t feel so good in the morning, we decided to come back same as the test and suddenly in the afternoon I feel much better. Okay was hotter and everything but the feeling with the bike was improved so yeah, I’m happy because I recover again good feedback.

“We also tried the new two SCX tyres from Pirelli,” he continued on his day’s work. “There is no big difference comparing the standard one, but there’s some positive points, like stability, seems like they have more stability but performance we did very, very similar. So has been a positive day because we find again the good way.

In the afternoon, we try the tyre, we were concentrating on the tyre. I did many laps on the 34-low but we didn’t try race pace, just concentrate on the performance of the tyre because at the end if we can use these tyres, one of these tyres for the race, we need to be sure that it will work. So today was the first comparison of tyres but at the end, now there’s very similar, both tyres are very similar, but we have to choose, if we want to race with one of them.

“We have to choose which one, then tomorrow we work on the race pace but I’m not worried about that because I felt good on the bike, quite consistent with the laps. One tyre I did 11 laps in a row, the other I think 15 or 14 and the performance was quite consistent so I’m not worried about that.”

While Bautista was pleased with the tyre comparison, he did have his reservations with the day’s programme.

“There is no time and there is no quantity,” he said of the ability to test the tyres on offer. Concerning that we have a maximum of quantity for use. I think it’s 12 tyres. So if we have four rear tyres, but we can use only 12 [in the weekend], we have no quantity to try very well each tyre so at the end you have to decide. You cannot put three tyres in a practice because you don’t have the quantity you want to do all the weekend. If Pirelli bring more tyres, they have to give us more quantity to make a real testing.”

Jonathan Rea expressed concerns about the Ducati being difficult to overtake this weekend but Bautista doesn’t agree.

“I don’t think so because usually lap by lap we are all very similar,” he challenged. “I think we have the same level. Also, Rinaldi is very strong in this track but maybe a couple of tenths slower than Toprak and me but I don’t think that this track is more difficult for them that the others to overtake.”