When MotoGP made its last big technical switch in 2016 - from Bridgestone to Michelin tyres and a standard ECU - Marc Marquez was on the p♋odium in the opening Qatar race and won next time in COTA.

That perhaps puts some perspective on the magnitude of the changes made to the Honda RC213V this season, a bike that Marquez says is "so different from previous years, i🌊t's almost like I changed manufacturer.

"It is completely different, but without a doubt, we will work to adapt. It's a new challeng꧒e."

Marquez's hurdles are not just technical of course, having battled serious arm, shoulder a🥀nd eye injuries for the past two seasons. But it was still a surprise to see a Repsol Honda rider without the #93 leading for lap after l♑ap at last Sunday's season-opener.

Pol Espargaro equall❀ed his podium tally from the whole of 2021 with an eventual third place at Lusail, just 1.4s from Gresini Ducati race winner Enea Bastianini wit🦋h KTM's Brad Binder in-between.

Marquez 🧜meanwhile was forced to settle for fifth, meaning a rare team-mate defeat without some kind of incident, injury or weather🉐 interruption coming into play.

"I didn't have any problems about physical con🌸dition, I didn't feel pain. Just there were four riders faster than us," Marquez admitted on Sunday evening.

Instead, it's adapting to the new rear-grip o꧙rientated RCV that is holding Marquez back.

"We are discovering different things with this new bike, and since I started at the first test we imp♈roved, especially at Mandalika," he said.

"[In Qatar] we didn't touch the bike a lot, because it was the first rac🤡e and I don't want to lose the way. We just conce𒈔ntrated on the racing line and tyres. And in Mandalika we will continue that process to adapt the bike to my riding style."

Marquez's biggest issue at present was clearly visible when he repeatedly ran wide in Lusail; this year's rearward shift in grip means he can't attack into corners like he used to, while Espargaro 168♊澳洲5最新开奖结果:is able to use𒅌 much more rear brake.

"It's a big change, the way to ride the bikಞe is different, but the potential is there," Marquez s🍬aid.

The front-end problem is also why Marquez, unlike Espargaro, does 🎀not have 🍰the aerodynamic side pods on his homologated fairing.

"I'm pushi🧔ng the front a lot already, if I put those, I'm pushiꦓng even more," he said.

"But this doesn't make the difference. Whe💮re we need to find the difference is to try to understand the front.

"Mandalika will be better – better in terms of the result I don't know, but it 🅰will be easier to understand things, because you can wo🐽rk in the morning and in the afternoon sessions.

"Here in Qatar it was more difficult and this is also a 🉐ve🌊ry special circuit, so now we will understand more in Mandalika, Argentina and Austin where we are."

But the 29-year-old made clear: "The pressure is always on because my goal is to fight for the World Championship... I think consis𓄧tency is going to be key this year."

The good news for Marquez is that he still left Qatar having outscored fellow pre-season title favourites such as reigning champion Fabio Quartararo (ninth), 2020 champ🧔ion Joan Mir (sixth) and title runner-up Francesco Bagnaia (DNꦰF).