With the top MotoGP riders expected to put pen to paper on their 2023 MotoGP contracts sooner rather than later, former world champion Joan M🌃ir has confirmed pre-season testing will be im⛄portant to 'understand' his future.

Suzuki won a bidding war to sign Mir as a rookie in 2019. After an injury-interrupted debut season, Mir made history by winning Suzuꦕki's first four-stroke MotoGP title in 2020.

But last year saw the Spaniard fail to lead a race lap and openly frustrated at the rate of development made to✃ the GSX-RR on the way to third overall behind Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha) and Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati).

Against that backdrop, and with Mir's contract up for grabs, 🉐there is a logical risk of a rival manufacturer tempting the 24-year-old away for 2023. But the good news for Suzuki is that Mir has been impressed by their winter develop🐼ment efforts.

"A lot of people finish their contracts in 2022 and we are hoping to renew, or to take a different decision [for 2023]. Honestly, the test will be important for me. It will be imp♑ortant to understand everything," Mir said, ahead of this weekend's opening pre-season test in Sepang.

"As a Suzuki riౠder now, I feel great here, I feel like I am at home. But it's true that a change is something that in some moments can be good, also. But at the moment, I cannot speak mor🃏e about it because there is nothing decided. But let's see."

Mir added: " I didn't try the bike yet, but I saw that [Suzuki] have brought a lot of things to try, some improvements that are on paper quite interesting… Looks like Suzuki works more th🍰an I probably expected.

"Last year, something happened, and the things that they brought were not the step that the others made. And Suzuki knew that. A♚nd this year,ꦕ they made a lot of effort to bring more things than normal."

Like Yamaha, Suzuki riders have been pressing for more🦋 top speed to take on the Ducatis.

"On the straight, the rider canౠ't do a lot," Mir said. "It's important to work well on picking up the bike, accelerate w🌸ell, but on the straights it's the bike that has to be powerful.

"Suzuki has worked, on the engine, and I don't know if I will overtake some Ducatis [on Saturday], but I think that t🦄hey improved. That's always important, to find improvements."

As of lunchtime on day one, Mir is fifth fastest and team-mate Alex Rins third. The pair are occupying the middle of the top s🗹peed charts, behind the fastest Hondas, Ducatis and Aprilia but a match for the best KTM and ahead of the Yamahas.