Outside the top ten in Qatar, Joan Mir heads for round two of the 2024 MotoGP season in Portimao “confident that w🔯e 🍌can do more”.

The fo🐠rmer Suzuki world champion, starting his second season on the RC213V, took 15th – and top Honda - in the Lusail Sprint before narrowly losing out to Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo and LCR’s Johann Zarco for top Japanese bike honours with 13th in the grand prix.

But Portimao will literally be a night and day difference and the 26-year-old Spaniard expects a stronger weeke𓃲nd.

“I am looking forward to getting back on the bike and continuing the job we started in Qatar,” said Mir, now worki𒆙ng with Marc Marquez's ex-crew headed by Santi Hernandez.

“There’s a lot of work to do, but after starting well ♓at a track that is not the best for us, I am confident that we can do more in Por꧑tugal.

“It’s a track that I enjoy and I think we have more potential there. Ready to work, ready to make progress and ready to have another positive week𓄧end on the Honda RC213V.”

Asked about expectations after round one, Mir said: "Last year we had the same package all the year and honestly this was mentally very difficult to manage. This year I expect a change. Now I se💙e this change and I hope that they [Honda] continue in this mode."

New team-mate Luca Marini endured a sobering Repsol Honda debut in Qatar, qualifying 21st, finishing last in the Sprint and ahead of only Jack Miller (who crashed and reౠmounted) iꦇn the Grand Prix.

“The best thing we can do at the moment is keep riding, s𒁃o of course it’s great to be heading to Portugal and Portimao,” said the Italian. “It’s a track which i💮s very different to where we have started the year so I am curious to see how the Honda goes there.

“We're in the process of developing the bike, working with Honda, gathering information at different tracks to improve. Our 🐼objective is to find a better feeling with the bike in order to be more competitive.”

"This is just the first race, we need to be realistic and calm," Marini had said in Qatar. "I think that Joan and Johann did a good race. We need to know that our starting point is really behind, and everybody is r🍨eally pushing a lot in the front to develop their bikes a lot every year. 

"So we need to 'run' back to the top, but this is not easy. It's a proces🤡s that needs time, so we just need to stay calm, and try to make a step forward every time. This race I could understand many things, so this is important. Better than making 16th but not understanding anything. Because [for both scen𝕴arios] the points at the end are zero."

Free practice a🌱t Portiꦓmao begins on Friday morning.