When a MotoGP rider says th꧒ey need more power, they are usually talking about the engine. But in world champion Marc M🍌arquez's case, it's a healing shoulder that is holding him back.

In a repeat of last season, 💫the Repsol Honda rider arrived for the opening Sepang test knowing he would 'suffer' due to a 💜lack of strength after major shoulder surgery two months earlier.

The Spaniard gritted his teeth to deliver 37, 47 and 47 laps respectively o🔥ver the three days, finishing 13th overall on the timesheets albeit just 0.4s from the best lap of Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha).

But Marquez also suffered two falls that he might normally have sa♐ved and felt he was unable to push hard enough to g൩ive conclusive feedback on some of the new Honda parts.

"I need more power," Marquez said. "I’m very happy about the evolution of my physical condition over these three days. But it’s true that for example even yes𝔉terday when I stopped at midday and tried to sta🅰rt again in the afternoon I was too tired. The muscles are difficult to activate.

"Today I had a cras♏h at turn 15 and it was more because of the physical condition. When you lose this, you lose🐲 concentration. A crash that normally I would save, I lost the front a little bit and lost the bike.

"We did a [muscle] test before coming here and specifically the deltoid muscle is around 60%. But the other muꦫscles are closer to the top," he revealed.

"It affected [me] a lot. This is one of the more difficult circuitsꦰ physically and I suffered during these three days. But I need to suffer now if I൲ want to be ready in Qatar."

Currently of gre📖ater concern to Marquez is the development of the 2020 RCV.

"I am mဣore worried about the technical side," he confirmed. "The things we tried, it’s not clear. Some were a little bit better but we need to keep pushing.

"The answer about the technical side is all ♈about the opponents. If they improve a lot then we need to keep working. It looks like Suzuki and Yamaha have improved a lot."

Who would be fighting for victory if the race was tomorrow and how much o🍌f it could you do?

"If you check the pace everyone is running in the '59s tꦓoday. But Rins did aꦜ really good job. Viñales, too, on the race pace. Rins and Viñales are the two fastest ones.

"I don’t feel very, very far [a🅘way] in ten laps. [But] now I’m not ready to finish those 20 la♐ps."

Despite an extensive range of new parts to test at Sepang, LCR's Cal Crutchlow said he is yet to feel progress regarding the front-end difficulties of last year's bik🍌e.

Marquez agreed: "Basically I have the same [front end] feeling like last year. It’s there where we’re trying to work. We’re trying to analyse the problem and see if it’s coming from the chassis or the ಞengine.

"It’s there where we need to keep working, keep analysing all the things. I believe what I said last year, that 🎀in the engine side we are missing something there.

"The main comments from me, Cal and Alex are the same and in the same way like previous years, like 2019. Still we don’t impꦿrove a lot that 'pushing' in the last part [of corner entry] and the traction in the exit of the corners.

"About the engine side, we can’t change a lot 🀅[before the first race]. But the chassis side, if we can try to improve the grip on the exit of the corner is tꩵhe most important."

While the #93 said it's too early to know if, asꦏ last year, his shoulder and bike will be ready to fight for victory at the Qatar season opener on March 8, his focus remains on winning what would be a seventh MotoGP title.

"My target is t♛o try and fight for🐭 the championship. We are working for it and I feel we are ready. But we need time," he said.

"On my side we are in a difficult period because I need to be patient. But 💜it’s difficult to be patient♚ while at the same time working on the bike, working on the rehabilitation.

"It’s there where it’s so difficult man🐼aging all these things. We are suffering now to enjoy🦩 in a good way the race."

Younger brother and new team-mate Alex Marquez was 18th fastest (+0.693) and toꦚp rookie at Sepang.

The Qatar🗹 test, the final track t🌞ime before the season begins, takes place from February 22-24.