In a further sign that the spring-valve engine is more than capable of holding its own, Pedrosa was fastest of all on qualifying tyres with Hayden leading the way on race rubber.
Pedrosa has finished an impressive third, first and second in the three opening rounds of the season - results matched (in a different order) by Sunday's winner
Jorge Lorenzo, putting the pair of Spanish rivals on top of the world championship standings.
However, Lorenzo has also taken all three pole positions, a run Pedrosa will be aiming to end next time out at Shanghai.
"It's been another positive day of testing. We focused mostly on testing tyres with Michelin, both race tyres and qualifying tyres, because I needed to improve my performance on qualifiers," said Dani. "The day's work has helped us prepare for the Chinese GP and further improve our base setup. We also did some work on the chassis and suspension to improve front-end feeling during hard braking, because this aspect of performance is particularly important at Shanghai, and we also worked on the electronics."
With extra horsepower, in the form of the '08 pneumatic-valve engine, unlikely to appear in time for the Chinese Grand Prix - which features the longest straight on the
MotoGP calendar - the Repsol riders might well need to rely on their braking skills to help stay on terms with the Ducatis and factory Yamahas.
Casey Stoner won last year's Chinese event with his powerful Desmosedici and, during the Portuguese Grand Prix, the GP8s were still the fastest machines in a straight line - despite their handling difficulties.
Alice's
Toni Elias led the way with 323.2km/h (FP3), with Stoner second on 320.3km/h (FP3). Next best was the pneumatic-powered Yamaha of
Valentino Rossi, which reached 318.5km/h in the race, followed by Stoner's team-mate
Marco Melandri and Rossi's team-mate Lorenzo (both 318.1km/h during FP3).
