Franco Morbidelli steered his A-Spec Petronas Yamaha𝔉 to third pla🍌ce on the Friday practice timesheets for his home Italian MotoGP, despite being left a clear last on the top speed charts.

Morbidelli broke the speed trap in a best of 339.6km/h during the afternoon session, which compared with 357.6km/h by the Pramac Ducati of M✃ichele Pirro.

But the figure that 'shocked' Morbidelli the most was that his 2019-based M1 was some 5.4km/h slower than the next closest bike on the speed charts, the Aprilia of rookꦍie Lorenzo Savadori.

"Definitely, I'm happy to see myself in third position and the fact that when I look at the speed chart, I see myself so far from the top and also so 🌺far from the [next fastest rider] gives me pride," Morbidelli said.

"I real🌌ise that we are doing something great and this gives me confidence and energy to keep working."

The reigning title runner-up added that the near 20km/h difference to Pirro, "is a shocking number but not as shocking as the differ🎀ence compared to the [next] fastesღt bike, 5k.

"There is the whole speed chart [covering rest of the riders] and then therᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚe is me 5ks later.

"So here in Mugello it seems that we are struggling a bit more compared to u🔴sual. We are working already to find some ways to improve on t✃hat."

But if nothing else, Morbidelli's performance proved once again that being fast at Mugello is a꧋bout mu🌳ch more than straight-line speed.

"It felt great to ride again here," said Morbidelli, who is chasing his first Mugello podium this weekend. "I had a lot of fun today. Moreover I was fast with the 🍸soft tyre and I'm happy about that.

"We need to work a little bit more to see how we are with used tyres, but I think that soඣ far, so good. We started well."

Morbidelli's p🥀erformance also made him the top Yamaha on day one, just ahead of former team-mate and current world championship leader Fabio Quartararo (Monster Ya🍸maha).

The Frenchman'🧔s team-mate Maverick Vinales, quickest in the morning sessi🎐on, slipped to eighth overall in the afternoon with Morbidelli's factory-spec team-mate Valentino Rossi only 21st (+1.572s).