That peꦯrception only increased when both gained ground at theꦍ start, finishing the opening lap with Mir in fourth and Rins ninth.

Impressive winter work by the Suzuki engineers also saw Mir po🔯st the fastest speed of the race, a major boost to his overtaking hopes. But the GSX-RR's renowned tyre-saving capability un𝕴expectedly deserted them.

Wh𒅌ile many riders also struggled with the soft front, it was a lack of rear grip that meant Mir could never ge꧑t into 'attack mode' and faded to sixth. Rins crossed the line four-seconds behind him in seventh.

"[Li✅ke Rins] I also had front tyre problems, but I think everyone with the soft was struggling," Mir explained on Thursday in Mandalikaꦆ. "In my case, the thing was that we had higher [rear] tyre consumption than we are used to.

"Normally, our strongest poin𝓡t is tyre consumption, and we weren't in our best moment in that aspꦅect.

"We have to analyse and work on the bike to reduce that and to make a good e𓆉nd of the race. Because I couldn't go, in any part of the race, into attack mode.

"I was always control💟ling, defending, but I was never able to go into attack mode because in the first laps I was trying to be smooth and not make the tyre spin and that's why I didn't overtake and stay꧑ed with the group.

"ඣBut then when I wanted to go, I didn’t have anything left on the tyre, so it's important to analyse why… I think both of us [Mir and Rins] were quite similar on t𝔍his."

The Spaniard feels the ride-height dev♎ice (not present for Qatar 2021) and increased engine power are possible causes for the tyre wear, wh🅘ile solutions will come from "improving the electronics. And also the setting of the bike, to get a little bit more grip".

Rather than beiꦡng frustrated at the result, Mir pointed to the extensive range of developments on the GSX-RR compared with the (winless) b🧸ike that began last season.

"In Qatar we fin🌜ished with not the result we probably expected, but it's true that there's margin to improve this year," he said. "If we had another race in Qatar we would probably now get better.

"Last year, we were in a different position. When we finished those races, we said it will be hard to improve more. This year m🍸y impression is a little bit different, so it's important to understand a bit more about the bike.

"We just ne🥀ed a bit more information… I think we can fix it."

This weekend's inaugural Mandalika MotoGP won't allow Mir to exploit all of the Suzuki's new found top speed, with only a 500m rather than 1km main straight, but he expects several overtaking ar𒀰eas.

"First corner, then af⛄ter the fast chicane - Turn 10. Last corner, no, but the one before (Turn 16), yes," he said.

Mir and Rins were 𒅌12th and seventh respectively during February's Mandalika test, both within half-a-second of the top. Since that test, the the circuit has been partially resurfaced and a different tyre casing selecte🦄d by Michelin.