Rossi says Yamaha still behind in mixed conditions

While first practice at Sepang was held in the dry, the afternoon session took place shortly after a rain shower with the track drying up enough to use slick tyres in the closing stages.

That led to a topsy-turvy leaderboard led by Jack Miller’s Marc VDS Honda, while Rossi, who did not set a lap on intermediate or slick tyres, dropped down to 13th.

But, having been fifth fastest in first practice, and towards the top of the timesheets early in FP2 when conditions were at their worst, Rossi says either full wet or full dry conditions is what Yamaha needs.

“This morning was quite dry, but unfortunately not completely dry,” said the Italian.

“The asphalt is very good, better for [having fewer] bumps and better for grip, but it needs a lot of time to dry up. Here in Malaysia this is a problem, because it rains more or less every day.

“This morning it stopped raining around 7am, or 7.30, we started [the session] at 10am and finished at 10.45, it was still [partly] wet. So in three hours, it doesn’t come [completely] dry.

“In the afternoon we try also the wet. On full wet tyres I was not so bad, and after we had more problems in mixed conditions.

"We hope it’s full dry or full wet.”

Lorenzo says 10th not representative

Rossi’s factory Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo also struggled for pace on Friday, ending up the first session 10th before slumping to 16th in the mixed conditions of FP2.

But, choosing not to bother setting a time late in the afternoon as the track was drying out, Lorenzo said that – much like Rossi – either fully wet or fully dry conditions would suit him.

“In the wet, I was quite competitive, I was in more or less the top three, but we stopped because we didn't find a reason to keep going,” said the Spaniard.

“The track was drier and drier but was not ready to be comfortable with the slicks. So we didn't go out again with intermediates, because we knew already we couldn't improve the laptime from the morning.

“So that's why my position - some other riders ran on mixed tyres, we didn't. I think we are better than 10th position, or 16th.

“Let's see tomorrow - if it's dry, we can be competitive because I think the grip of the track is very good, the only problem is these patches of water that are very difficult to dry completely.”

Additional reporting by Oriol Puigdemont