"Surreal atmosphere" in the San Carlo Gresini box

Marco Simoncelli has left a gaping hole behind him and the feeling of sadness was tangible today. Hiroshi Aoyama is desperate to honour his team-mate in the best way possible but he struggled for grip today on a slippery track surface and eventually crashed at the end of this afternoon's wet session.

Hiroshi Aoyama:

"The conditions made life hard today and I had a crash. The grip levels weren't the best and even though I tried to find the limit it was very hard and I am not happy with the result. I hope I can be faster tomorrow and on Sunday. This is an important Grand Prix for me because it is my last in MotoGP and I am desperate to have a good race to honour Marco, who we are all missing greatly. I will try to do my best for all these reasons.”