Vinales "felt better and better" on first Qatar test day

Yamaha has struggled throughout the majority of the 2018 pre-season testing, with Vinales having declared last month's Thailand test as the "worst" he has had since joining Yamaha.

However, both factory Yamahas as well as Johann Zarco made it into the top seven on the opening day at Losail, with Vinales setting the pace.

The Spaniard said that set-up changes throughout the day made him "feel better and better", and the bike was "very positive" in the areas where Yamaha had struggled before.

"We try different setups, in the beginning, I didn't feel so good I felt same problems as in Thailand but after changing the setup I start to feel better and better every exit," he said.

"In last exit I tried many laps in a row trying to concentrate on the riding style and looks quite good, the bike looks very constant and I could ride well.

"Sure this track suits our bike a little bit better, less narrow corners with speed but anyway in the areas we wanted to improve was very positive.

"Still there are many areas to be improved, especially the corner speed and turning in the corner, so we need to keep focused and keep working."

Rossi: Qatar suits Yamaha

Rossi, who was seventh-fastest, also described the day as positive, but reckoned Yamaha's improving form was due to the track suiting the bike better rather than any major breakthrough.

"I think it is more the track because here the bike goes quite well and we have a comfortable level of grip with the tyres," said Rossi. "The bike is exactly the same as two weeks ago in Thailand, where we had more problems.

"I've been pretty fast but there is still a lot of work on both the chassis and electronics.

"In the end, I'm seventh, so it's not like I'm doing somersaults from joy, but I'm three tenths away, which is not so bad. The bike is good, so it was a good day."

Additional reporting by Oriol Puigdemont