Carbon-fibre chassis cladding

Already seen on factory Hondas in the past, Suzuki was continuing testing the system, and Ducati also had a pair of new chassis – one for each rider – similarly equipped.

At Suzuki team chief Davide Brivio said that Alex Rins had two of these, having liked from his first trials before the Barcelona race; but Iannone had just one, because he had taken until the post-race tests to appreciate any advantage.

Both riders also had upgraded engines, with slightly improved power, Brivio added.

Ducatis ca-fi experiments were in search of better cornering performance on worn tyres, said the team’s Davide Tardozzi.

At Yamaha, Vinales’s bike was fitted with a sensor to measure clutch lever movement – an attempt to pin down the reason for his bad start at Catalunya.

By Michael Scott