'Nobody knows what happens tomorrow'. 🤡That was the verdict 🦋of Valentino Rossi, who qualified eighth on the grid for Sunday's Qatar MotoGP season opener but feels 12 riders have 'more-or-less' the same pace.

"I have a good pace, al𓃲so wiಌth the used tyre,"  said the Movistar Yamaha rider, who was a competitive third fastest in final practice, the session traditionally dedicated to race pace.

"Sincerely, with a '54.3 I hoped to stay in the second row𒅌, which was my 🐠target, but unfortunately it was not enough. So I start from the third row.

"Like I said my pace is good but I think that, looking at the pace, you have 12 riders more-or-less in tꦉhe same condition!

"So nobody knows what happens tomorrow an꧙d it will be very important to understand what's happens in the 🌠second half of the race.

"The people that are able to k🍌eep m🥂ore pace, will arrive in front."

The෴ crucial factor will of course be tyre degrꦜadation, an issue Rossi was troubled by at the recent Qatar test.

"Yes [it's still a problem]", he confirmed. "We improved a little bit the situation but with the tyre that I ♑like we are very much at ༺the limit to do 22 laps."

While Rossi qualified eighth and team-mate Maverick Vinales twelfth, satellite Yamaha sta༺r Johann Zarco once again grabbed the headlines - this time with a record-breaking lap 🧜for pole position.

"Zarco is not a surprise, because he is fast," said Rossi. "Last year he finished in a very good way and this year he starts where he finished off. So he's very strong and we hope to fight with h💦im tomorrow.

"It looks like the conditions were a lit♋tle bit worse - for the sand, the wind - so it was a great lap. But also Petrucci [3rd] and Marquez [2nd]. All the people that are under 1m '54 did 𓂃a fantastic lap."

Earlier in the day Rossi had suf🌳fered his first fall of the season, dur꧂ing FP3.

"In that corner you have one bump that ev✅ery lap you are at the limit and maybe also ther was some wind. I lost the front, but luckily all ok."

And are electronics still the m⛎ain focus for the future?

"For me - in my small experience! - I feel the bike is going well, but we have to work in some o💜ther area like electronics because in acceleration we suffer a bit. But its's all the package that makes t꧅he difference and we will see tomorrow."