Lorenzo 'powerless' to hold Pedrosa pole
The Spaniard came into qualifying as odds-on favourite for pole position after producing record-breaking pace during all three practice sessions, a status he elevated when he produced an early effort of 1min 47.834secs
With times tumbling during the latter stages, championship leader Lorenzo began trading quick laps with Dani Pedrosa and looked on course to undercut his countryman's 1min 47.365secs when he dived into the pit lane.
Citing a loss of power coming around the final corner, Lorenzo was frustrated to be denied pole position, but has faith in his Yamaha's race pace having proven consistently quick over a series of laps during practice.
“On the lap before the last I felt a loss of power in some corners. On the final lap I was red until the last corner then I felt the power drop much more so I had to enter the pits and stop.
"I made some good laps, although not completely perfect and I felt I could make a better one. It's going to be a very tough race for everyone so we have to stay calm and save some energy for the end.”
Pedrosa eventually took pole position with a lap time of 1min 47.284secs
