Pedrosa expected to finish last in wet Sepang race

Pedrosa edged out Johann Zarco and Andrea Dovizioso to grab pole, his third of the season, in dry conditions on Saturday at Sepang, but slipped to fifth on Sunday as the weather took a turn for the worse.

The Spaniard has struggled badly in other rain-affected races this year, managing only 13th at Assen, 14th at Misano and most recently parking his bike at Motegi with a rear tyre problem.

Such poor results meant Pedrosa's expectations were that he would tumble to the rear of the pack in short order at Sepang, and that a solid run to fifth place came as a pleasant surprise.

"I'm really happy about the result because the expectations for the wet were a disaster, [to finish] last," said Pedrosa.

"I was on pole in the dry and looking forward to racing in the dry. I was crossing my fingers about a dry track. It almost happened. But when I start to see the rain, I said [I'll go] from first to last.

"It was quite a shocking change of mind. That's why to finish fifth is quite positive."

Pedrosa said a set-up change on his works Honda helped him find the confidence he was previously lacking in the rain, but still encountered rear spinning that cost him dearly.

"The team gave me a good bike," he said. "We changed the setting and it worked, it gave me confidence, obviously getting more grip on the rear.

"Also we chose the soft rear, which gave me confidence to go at the beginning. The problem was I was spinning a lot and I was trying to keep low the rpm and not go full [throttle] in a straight line.

"So I was losing about one second in the last sector. But it was the way I could finish."

Asked why he chose the soft rear, Pedrosa replied: "Because I can lean the bike. With the hard I cannot. I knew there was a limit on the centre [of the tyre], but I can lean the bike like this.

"I was starting at the front, [I thought] at least the first few laps I will be there and then see how we can manage. But Zarco also [chose the soft]."

Additional reporting by Oriol Puigdemont