Repsol Honda team manager Alberto🐈 Puꦏig acknowledged that reducing the highside risk was ‘very important’ since it is not only a matter of performance but safety.

“We have been working a lot during the winter in Japan and with the European groups, and this is one topic where 💯we have to improve and where we are focussed,” Puig said.

“Obviously not just to arrive to a [competitive] bike, but what you are talk꧒ing about is an area of safety that we know is very important and clearly we a๊re looking at it.”

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Marquez, who suffered another episode of diplopia due to a huge highside in Indonesia early last season, said he had already noticed a sig🐟🔯nificant improvement in rear grip consistency on his return from arm surgery at the end of last year.

The eight-time world champion also had no ‘scares’ at the recent Sepang😼 test but cautioned that the real ‘test’ will come during a grand prix weekend, with less rubber on the track.

“As Alberto said, we are allꦜ working in the same direction: a bike that is fast, competitive and at the same time safe,” Marquez said.

“In the five races after I returned from injury there had been a ꦐchange in this philosophy and it was not the same bike that I left to have my arm operation [in June].

"In Malaysia, it was pretty good and I didn’t 🍌have any scares but then there is not always a warning when this ꦓhappens!

“The real picture for me and the team will come during ꧂the Grands Prix because in the tests there is a lot of rubber on track, you ride differently and have a lot of time on track.

"Yes, [the tests] serve to try techn꧒ical things but not really to understand exactly the level of where we are.”

New team-mate Joan Mir, arriving at Honda from Suzuki, sai𒆙d he had ple👍nty of confidence in the rear grip.

“In Sepang, I did not see a big problem with confidence in this area,”💝 said Mir. “As was said, Honda have been working for improvement⛄ in this direction and I cannot say it was a big problem.”