Factory Ducati MotoGP rider Andrea Dovizioso said that it was easier to make mistakes than be fast during qualifying for the French Grand Prix at Le Mans.

The Italian qualified in fourth position, just 0.186 behind Ducati stable mate Jack Miller and despite being off the front row, Dovizioso was content with his second row start.

"I'm quite happy with fourth position on the grid because,” said the factory Ducati man. “Given the conditions out there today, it was easier to make mistakes than to be fast.

“It was really difficult to find the right feeling on the bike, especially in the second part of the session. We bet our chips on that, and we were able to improve our lap time, but unfortunately the track was faster in the opening minutes.”

The nature of the rain meant that Dovizioso didn’t get many laps in the proper rain, instead most of it being in the mix conditions all riders hate. With questions over the weather for tomorrow, Dovizioso said he hopes it's dry for morning warm up. 

“We couldn't do many laps in properly wet conditions, so we still have a few question marks regarding tomorrow,” he said.

“But I hope to have a dry track in the morning warm-up session in order to be able to work on some details that could make a big difference during the race. There are many riders with a strong, similar pace so anything can happen tomorrow, but for sure we have the potential to be competitive."