After three seasons of moving up the championship table on year-old H🅘onda machinery, Takaaki Nakagami gets his big chance for 2021 in the form of promotion to the latest-spec RCV.

The Japanese will now have the same bike as Repsol Honda riders Marc Marquez and Pol Espargaro, plus new LCR𝓰 team-mate Alex Marquez.

Th𝐆at also means Nakagami will skip the 2020-spec bike and jump from racing the 2019 model t♑o the 2021 edition, although the engine will be 2020-spec due to the technical freeze.

"It's really exciting to use latest bike, because the last three seasons we always used previous bike. Sometimes it's good, but sometimes not," said Nakagami, who was the top Honda rider with tenth in the world cꦗhampionship last season.

"Most of the time it's really difficult to show our real potential, because the main thin༺g is that the engine performance is completely different, and always the latest engine spec has more power and speed.

"In MotoGP if you lose one tenth in 🌜the🀅 back straight or the long straight, it's difficult."

With no official testing until Qatar in March, Nakagami's only glimpse at the 2021 race bike has been in 𝔉the hands of devel☂opment rider Stefan Bradl during recent private tests at Jerez.

"Everybody knows that HRC an🦩d Stefan Bradl had a few days of testing in Jerez, but actually I diജdn't get any information from HRC. I didn't talk or know yet," Nakagami said.

"I saw some pictures, and the media had 🌟the [main] points of the bike, the new chassis, new swingarm. It looks good. I'm really excited to try it, but still I haven't talked t🍎o HRC about the new bike.

"Of course be𓄧fore the Qatar test we need to understand which bike HRC will bring for all four riders, but at this moment, I don't know anything about which bike we will have.

"But it's good to see Bradl testing, and hopefulღly HRC can pick up the best parts for a a good base in Q🅘atar.

"But I'm not worried about the new bike, because it's definitely much better than what I used last year. The 🦂engine performance will be much easier, more horsepower, from a 2019 bike to a 2020 engine.

"So I'm really excited and hopefully I can help develop the bike and to make it even more competitive. I know it's already competitive, but compared to other manufacturers in some points it doesn't handl🌼e the best, so I hope I can help in that area."

'Last season I couldn't control the pressure'

While the new bike is undoub🍒tedly a big boost for Nakagami he already had the speed to finish on the podium and perhaps win races last season – only to throw his best chances away, most notable at Aragon, when he qualified on pole but fell from the lead on the opening lap.

True to his word, the 29-year-old has been working to ensure such mistakes won't happen again. But while Fabio Quartararo has enlisted the help of a psychologist to help him focus over the winter, Nakagami has sought to acclimatise himself to high-str🔯ess situations.

"Of course, last season was a good season for me, but on the other side, unfortunately I couldn't control myself for the pressure," he said. "I was too⛄ excited from the pole position in Aragon, and made a stupid mistake.

"For the experience it was very good, at least I tried the maximum I have and I made a mist🍬ake. Of course that moment was really disappointing, because everybody knows 🧜I can fight for the victory, but after 20 seconds I was in the gravel.

"So in myself, last year, there were a few mistakes in really i♌mportant moments.

"I know Fabio Quartararo works with a mental trainer. But I'm not like him. I've done a little 🐈bit different strategy in training. It looks good, but the training situation and the grand prix situation is completely different."

Pressed on what he has tried, Nakagami replied:

"We tried more bicycle training, outside and indoor. It was a really ha💎rd workout to bring the maximum heart rate, 180-185, then stay at the maximum heart rate an🍃d don't lose the concentration.

"Normally at 180-185 people start to think about breathing to [bring the h🏅eart rate] down, but we tried to keep this high maximum performance, to keep constant, don’t lose concentration and confidence.

"For the training it looks 🌟good but as I said still I don’t know if it will help on the [MotoGP] bike.

"Let's try in the Qatar test because in Qatar it will be very tough, only 5 days, but we need to do a lot of laps. So it's going to be tough for the physical condition,🦹 which is good to understand if the winter training has been good or not.

"But this season, we cannot afford ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚto make any mistakes, because our target is ⛄to fight for the championship," he added. "Last season it was OK to make mistakes, but this season we cannot."

Aggressive-smooth 'hybrid' style

While Nakagami made big progress after HRC helped him analyse Marc Marque🌞z's aggressive riding style, the #30 knows there is still work to do.

"I can say th🦩at on the braking I still need a little bit more, but especially in the change of direction from corner to corner, I'm not the best rider. I understood that I am not the fastest man, but also on the data it looks like I'm not on a g🉐ood level.

"This is good to know, because also I understood that 💟in this area I am not the best rider. So I'll tౠry to understand, look at the data and focus more on that area with the team.

"We have to use that important ♛test [Qatar] to develop the bike but also to understand how to improve my riding style."

While Marc Marquez is known for his aggressive, on the limit riding style, no two riders are the same a﷽nd Nakagami believes there are occasions when a smooth technique pays off for him.

"Marc's style looks really good. Every 🎃year, many people say the Honda is very difficult to handle but Marc is always able to use the bike. Of course, he has to adapt,൩ but he is able to do it.

"One thing with this aggressive style, we ജmust continue ꦕlike this, but on the other hand, not everyone is like Marc's style.

"Myself, at some p🎃oints I tried last year a little bit more 🔯aggressive, which in some points was positive, but not everywhere. Some areas I was much more smoothcompared to the other riders like Alex or Cal. But I was much faster.

"So to 🅺say that everywhere y🅠ou have a really aggressive style, I say no.

"I think for this season, I don't know about the new bike, but I think♉ the best way is to adapt at different moments; some points really aggressive, some points try smooth riding.

"Because last season, we saw the smooth riding was really really good for the end of the race. We were able to use the soft tyre and I was able to feel a lot of grip s꧙till at the end of the race, which is really important.

"So we need to try like a 'hybrid' style."

'My target is to fight for the championship'

Nakagami may only have a best MotoGP race result of fourth so far but last year's raw speed and painful lesso꧑ns, combined with this year's factory🐷-spec bike, means he approaches the new season believing a title challenge is feasible.

"In myself, I believe we can be more consistent to fight for being o🧔n top. We have to fight for the podium at least of course, because my target this year is to fight for the championship. So every race I have to stay in the top group," Nakagami said.

"All the riders have a competitive bike and all the riders have potenti๊al, so it's difficult to pick one rider, but last season, Joan Mir was an extra consistent rider and that's why he was world champion.

"Suzuki looks good, and also Yamaha I think can improve a lot from last season. More consistent will be difficult to beat them, also Quartarar🧜o moved to the factory team, so really difficult.

"Many riders really strong, and strong bikes."

The official Qatar test, fo🔴r all MotoGP riders, starts 🔯on March 6.